Ecclestone: 'Schumacher was more ruthless than Verstappen is'

It is an eternal debate: Who is the best F1 driver of all time? Is it Michael Schumacher? Lewis Hamilton? Juan Manuel Fangio perhaps? Or Ayrton Senna? And how does Max Verstappen compare to these icons of the sport? Bernie Ecclestone, the now 93-year-old former owner of Formula 1, has seen them all race.

No one will deny that Schumacher and Verstappen are among the very best ever. Two drivers who can impose their will on the competition. According to Ecclestone, there are even similarities between Schumacher and Verstappen, he told news agency DPA: "Max Verstappen has something of him in him. But Max is not as ruthless as Michael, because Michael did not even think about compromises." According to Ecclestone, Schumacher was "slightly more ruthless" on the track than Verstappen is now.

Lewis Hamilton unmistakably belongs to the select group of legendary drivers in Formula 1. The seven-time champion has not won a Grand Prix since Jeddah 2021. Moreover, with his Mercedes team, Hamilton could no longer claim the world title in the last two seasons. So it remains to be seen if and, if so, when Hamilton captures that eighth championship he so coveted.

Ecclestone would grant Hamilton his eighth world title. "I hope he succeeds. He would then make history," said the Briton, who was regularly in the news last year because of a tax issue and Felipe Massa's claim to the 2008 world title.