Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna were arguably two of F1’s most prolific world champions, having transcended the sport as well as winning multiple world championships.
Their careers were packed full of some of the best moments from F1’s 75-year history, while they also had their fair share of controversies on track.
Max Verstappen is now on the brink of a race ban in F1, having accumulated 11 points on his superlicence for various incidents on track.
While that is set to be reduced to eight points in July, it shows that he can be a ruthless driver on track and often overstep the mark.
Even though Verstappen is part of a different era of drivers, Martin Brundle thinks there are remarkable similarities between the Dutchman, Schumacher and Senna.
Martin Brundle finds Max Verstappen similarities to Michael Schumacher ‘remarkable’
There was a lot of debate over Verstappen’s driving standards again after his collision with Russell, which marked the latest chapter in their rivalry.
Russell would later face a protest from Red Bull after his win in Canada, after the team alleged he was driving erratically under a late race Safety Car, which the FIA later threw out.
Brundle, who raced against Senna and Schumacher in his 12-year F1 career, outlined how Verstappen has the same mentality as the two titans when they were fighting for titles.
“The template [to win titles] is to drive like Senna, Schumacher and Verstappen because the percentage gains are much greater than the losses,” said Brundle.
“The win-at-all-costs mentality and the pain they experience from losing are very similar. I find it remarkable just how similar they are, Ayrton, Michael, and Max. That’s how you’ve got to drive, if I had my chances again, I would look at that and say that’s how you do it.”
Max Verstappen sparks classic F1 rivalry with George Russell
The controversy between Verstappen and Russell has gone from being a simple mistake during the Azerbaijan race in 2022, whereby the pair disagreed on who caused the incident, to now being a bitter rivalry.
Tensions boiled over in Qatar last year when Russell blocked Verstappen in qualifying, leading to a war of words between the pair at the end of the season.
In the context of their futures in F1, Mercedes has shown interest in Verstappen amid the lack of progress on Russell’s contract for 2026.
Verstappen did offer a rare piece of praise for Russell’s start in Canada, after he got off the line a tenth quicker than the Dutchman which enabled him to keep the lead.
Mercedes effectively used Andrea Kimi Antonelli to pile pressure on Verstappen at the end, enabling Russell to hang on to his first win of 2025.
