Verstappen, the GOAT? Ex-Red Bull man's silence says it all

During the segment, a relaxed Nicholas is viewed with Red Bull's championship winning cars in the foreground.

He is then asked to stay slient until he hears an F1 driver's name that he believes is better than Verstappen.

At first, Nicholas, unfazed, hears the name of Sir Jackie Stewart. Upon hearing Fernando Alonso's name, the Briton's relaxed state begins to fade.

Growing increasingly conflicted, the interviewer went through a list including Niki Lauda, which prompted the first audible sigh.

As names such as Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna, the contorted expression on Nicholas's face and the tension built up in his body painted a rather clear picture. Verstappen rises above everyone else.

When the last name was read to him, that of Sir Lewis Hamilton, Nicholas remained wordless. "No?," was the interviewer's reply to the, by then, deafening silence.

Nicholas then said: "No, not going for it."

"I think for me, right now, there's no better all-round driver," Nicholas concluded.

Praising the Dutchman following his Italian Grand Prix win during Sky Sports' The F1 Show, the former F1 champion revealed that Verstappen, following his performance in Monza, had cemented his place among the top 5 drivers in history, along drivers of the stature of Senna, Schumacher, Fangio and Hamilton.

The F1 field now looks to Baku where the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 17th championship round will take place. At the peculiar street circuit characterised by its long straights, 90° corners and twisty and narrow castle section, Red Bull will put their claims of having found the RB21's sweet spot to the test, as the team readies itself for the last push of the 2025 season.