Max Verstappen was once termed 'not as good' as Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo by former F1 champion

1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve claimed in 2018 that Max Verstappen, the two-time World Champion, is not as good as Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Verstappen has been the talk of the Formula 1 world ever since he made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2015 at the tender age of 17 years and 166 days.

The Dutchman was quick to make his mark with Scuderia Toro Rosso, which saw him get promoted to Red Bull Racing midway through the 2016 season. The team promoted him and sent Daniil Kvyat the other way.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was all praise for Verstappen when promoting him in 2016. He had said in a statement:

"Max has proven to be an outstanding young talent. His performance at Toro Rosso has been impressive so far and we are pleased to give him the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing."

While Verstappen was quick to get comfortable with the new car mid-season, he gained a name for his recklessness and propensity to cause accidents. He, however, disputed such tags.

In an interview with Motorsport Magazine, he had said:

"There were only two real mistakes. The collision with Sebastian in China and the accident in Monaco. Everything else that happened wasn't entirely my fault. No (there is no crisis) It's a crisis if you're too slow."

Jacques Villeneuve, however, had an entirely different view of Verstappen. The Canadian believed that he was not quick enough, and certainly not as quick as Verstappen's then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

He said:

"He makes a mistake in every race, always, always! That's not a good sign. Normally, drivers who always make mistakes like this have to slow down and come down. But they're also slowing down. To be as fast as Ricciardo, he has to take more risks. That means he's not as good as Ricciardo. That's it!"

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Max Verstappen earns former F1 driver Johnny Herbert's praise

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert recently praised Max Verstappen for his driving skills and achievements in the sport. The British former racing driver believes the Dutchman is a special talent and that he has a 'wow factor' about him.

He said (via Total Motorsport):

"He [Max Verstappen] still really excites me when I watch him. There’s a wow factor with Max. Special drivers have that something extra that allows them to win races, but more importantly win a world championship."