Fittipaldi disagrees with Verstappen and Senna comparison: ‘He is different in that regard’

07:36, 23 Aug

byKevin Doldersum

Emerson Fittipaldi won two world championships in Formula 1 in the seventies. Nowadays, the Brazilian seems to be deeply impressed by the class of Max Verstappen. Although the Dutchman is regularly compared to another Brazilian, namely Ayrton Senna, Fittipaldi indicated that there is a clear difference between the two greats.

In conversation with the Brazilian branch of Motorsport.com, the 78-year-old declared: “I think the talent Max has, which is impressive to watch when he drives, is that he manages to get everything out of the car that’s there, and he comes into the corners very balanced. If you pay close attention, Ayrton used to move around more, Ayrton had a much more aggressive style.”

Senna is still considered by many to be the greatest F1 driver of all time. The Brazilian won three world titles with McLaren in 1988, 1990, and 1991. The differences in driving style between the three-time world champion and Verstappen are easy to explain, according to Fittipaldi.

Verstappen in the GP of Hungary, Red Bull Contentpool

Verstappen at the Hungaroring, Red Bull Contentpool

“ It was a different car. A different car at that time, but Max comes in very balanced, he uses all four wheels of the car with the right balance. I don’t know if he understands it consciously, but when he enters a corner he normally gets the maximum from the front axle and the maximum from the rear axle, and the rear axle “likes” the front axle the way he drives. And the car goes in very balanced.” said the two-time world champion.

‘Verstappen doesn't seem to be driving fast’

Fittipaldi immensely enjoys the driving style of the Red Bull driver. He continued: “Technically, seeing from the outside, what I see in Max is that he has this talent of driving very cleanly and very fast. So sometimes you watch Max going into a corner, it doesn’t look like he’s going fast, but when you check, he’s actually going very fast. So he has this talent of being able to balance the car with the way he brakes, the way he accelerates, the way he turns the wheel—it’s different—and the car goes in very balanced.”

The car causes Verstappen's driving style to differ significantly from Senna's. “Ayrton had exceptional talent, but with a car that was very different. Back then, they didn’t have as much downforce. Nowadays it’s impressive what the car can do… In that time, you had to drive sideways. Sideways, it was another thing. But Max carries the car on his shoulders. We see that when the Red Bull isn’t good, he comes from behind and still manages it.” concluded the Brazilian.