Max Verstappen, one of the youngest and most formidable drivers in the Formula One Drivers Championship, is now being compared to Ayton Senna. This comes after Masashi Yamamoto spoke with reporters at Autosport Magazine. Here, the manufacturer began to praise the young athlete for his capabilities on and off the track. Yamamoto pointed to Senna’s Honda logo, which was placed in the same area for Verstappen because of their likeliness as drivers. This praise comes after Max acquired three podium victories for Honda Racing, marking their first wins in thirteen years in the sport.
This Austrian driver has set records similar to Gerhard Berger, one of the former top winners in the Honda F1 Racing history. However, there isn’t anybody that’s had more podiums for Honda than the outstanding Ayrton Senna. In his career, he won thirty-two Grand Prixs and earned three world titles in the process between 1987 to 92. All of these factors haven’t diminished the power Verstappen hold’s over Honda’s growth and he is quoted with being one of the most significant factors for Honda Racing in Formula One.
Yamamoto’s Comments
Yamamoto speaking with Autosport clarified that Verstappen might be young but maintains some of the best driving grid-wide. He noted that its similar to watching the Young Senna throughout his beginning days. Max pays the same respect to Honda Racing, remaining loyal with them and Red Bull Racing. Subsequently, there’s a good chance that he will be one of the few drivers to stay with the same team for upwards of ten years or longer. Honda Racing’s Yamamoto mentioned that the respect shown creates emotion amongst the engineers, making us want to create a more significant engine for him. However, Yamamoto made sure to clarify that all four drivers with Honda F1 Racing are essential to the program.
Since Honda Racing partnered with Red Bull in 2019, Max Verstappen has created an intense and close relationship with their brand. He indicated that the Austrian driver displays a significant passion for growing the research and development sector, which has made their relationship stronger within the last fourteen months. Yamamoto mentioned the thousands of people working at the Honda factory and how Max has gotten to know a large percentage of them. This included walking through the wind tunnel, where all employees lined up and received high fives from the infamous driver. It’s this commitment towards Honda that made them dedicated to F1 for the next four years going forward.