"I don't believe anyone is faster than Max Verstappen" - Former F1 driver says reigning world champion is quick but 'makes a lot of mistakes'

Former F1 driver Eddie Irvine recently revealed that he believes reigning world champion Max Verstappen is unmatched in his pace. The Irishman, however, believes that it is his aggression that pushes Verstappen to make mistakes and ultimately harm himself in terms of the championship.

As reported by F1i.com, Irvine compared the reigning world champion's driving style to that of current championship leader Charles Leclerc, saying:

“I don’t believe anyone is faster than Verstappen, but he still makes a lot of mistakes. Leclerc doesn’t do that.”

Irvine emphasized that the Dutchman has a tendency to let his aggression get the better of him and that it reflects on his driving style. Claiming that this almost made Leclerc seem like the more mature driver of the two, he said:

“Having such an incident in qualifying is generally not so relevant. Verstappen makes the mistake of always letting himself be carried away in terms of aggressiveness. [Leclerc] is very intelligent, has a personality, and is mature. [In] that way Verstappen seems a bit ‘younger’ to me mentally, but he has been given a lot of talent.”

Despite the errors Verstappen tends to make, Irvine claims that his pace is easily comparable to that of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. He added, saying:

“Leclerc and Verstappen are both very strong. [Lewis] Hamilton is also exceptional, even though I don’t think he has the same speed as Verstappen. Max reminds me of [Michael] Schumacher. He can keep a great race pace and no one who is driving in the same car comes near him.”

After two DNFs in the first three races of the 2022 season, Max Verstappen now stands sixth in the drivers' standings with a total of 25 points. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the only race he has completed so far and he emerged victorious in the same.

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"Just no pace" - Max Verstappen on devastating Sunday in Melbourne

The Australian Grand Prix was an absolute nightmare for Max Verstappen, who left another race weekend with zero points to his name. He claimed that his Red Bull is nowhere close to Ferrari in terms of pace and reliability.

As reported by the Express, Verstappen compared his 2022 package to that of Ferrari, saying:

“We are already so far down in the championship that from now onwards basically you first need to be faster than them [Ferrari], which we’re not, and zero problems with the car which we also don’t have. So it’s going to be a big task. It was just a terrible race, just no pace. I couldn’t push because the tyres were just getting destroyed.”

Red Bull are hoping to make a stronger comeback at Imola if they want the slightest chance of challenging Ferrari for the title this year.