Eric Boullier believes Max Verstappen is now ‘on his way’ to being the ‘new GOAT’ in Formula 1, as what Red Bull’s four-time drivers’ champion can do in a car is ‘special’.
The 27-year-old has a chance to match a feat only Michael Schumacher has ever achieved in 2025 by winning his fifth F1 drivers’ championship in a row. Verstappen is currently third in the standings after the first nine rounds, with Oscar Piastri boasting a 49-point advantage.
Red Bull driver Verstappen is also third all-time for Grand Prix wins with 65 from 218 entries. He is also fourth in the all-time standings for podiums with 116 so far, fifth for pole positions (43) and sixth for fastest laps (34). He even has nine more Sprint wins than anyone, with 11.
Max Verstappen missing a round would leave Red Bull in a ‘dangerous’ position, amid fears for a race ban
Boullier also believes Verstappen is ‘clearly’ holding Red Bull together, as no one the Milton Keynes squad places alongside the Dutchman can get close to what he can deliver. But that also places Red Bull in a ‘dangerous’ position should Verstappen ever have to miss a round.
READ MORE: How many penalty points every 2025 F1 driver has, including Max Verstappen
| SCHUMACHER | HAMILTON | VERSTAPPEN | |
| F1 titles | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Grand Prix wins | 91 (29.64%) | 105 (28.77%) | 65 (29.82%) |
| Grand Prix poles | 68 (22.08%) | 104 (28.49%) | 43 (19.72%) |
| Grand Prix podiums | 155 (50.49%) | 202 (55.34%) | 116 (53.21%) |
That danger may also become a reality at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix on June 13-15 and Austrian Grand Prix on June 27-29. Verstappen is one penalty point from a one-race ban after hitting 11/12 in his current 12-month period after driving into George Russell in Spain.
Red Bull fear Verstappen will get a race ban for Austria, with it being the team’s home event. Any suspension would also spark the question Boullier fears about who would lead Red Bull in Verstappen’s absence, with Yuki Tsunoda only securing seven points since his promotion.
Boullier told RacingNews365: “Max is special and is on his way to being the new GOAT, as you say. He is on top of it, and it is funny because you like him or you don’t…
“What he can do with the car is amazing because he can extract from his car, his teammates cannot. And whoever you put with him as a teammate, you say, ‘Oh, he’s at the back’. So, he is clearly holding the team.
“But it is quite a dangerous position, as well. And I don’t wish to see anything bad, but if one of the McLaren drivers were ill, the other one could step up tomorrow. If Max is ill, what is going to happen to Red Bull?”
Max Verstappen destroyed Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson as teammates
Verstappen has destroyed every teammate the Dutchman has faced at Red Bull since Daniel Ricciardo left the team at the end of the 2018 F1 season. Pierre Gasly only lasted 12 rounds after scoring 63 points to Verstappen’s 181, and Alex Albon scored 181 in 26 rounds to 311.
READ MORE: Sergio Perez’s Red Bull record against Max Verstappen’s prior teammates’
| CATEGORY | MAX VERSTAPPEN | SERGIO PEREZ |
| Rounds | 90 | 90 |
| Grand Prix wins | 44 | 5 |
| Grand Prix pole positions | 37 | 3 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 70 | 29 |
| Grand Prix fastest laps | 23 | 8 |
| F1 Sprint wins | 11 | 1 |
| Points | 1,861.5 | 932 |
Sergio Perez lasted 90 rounds as Verstappen’s teammate, but the Mexican was dominated in every aspect before losing his seat. Liam Lawson also lasted two rounds after failing to score a point when Verstappen had 36, and Tsunoda is now learning how hard it is to partner him.
Lawson could get a second shot in the RB21 if Verstappen were to receive an automatic race ban for reaching 12 penalty points over the meets in Canada or Austria. But Red Bull will not replace Verstappen with Ricciardo or Perez in the event of a ban in one of the coming races.
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