Max Verstappen compared to five-time F1 champion by Peter Windsor after ‘very subtle’ Imola display

Max Verstappen surprised everyone when he won his second race of the season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, after pulling off a sensational overtake on Oscar Piastri.

The McLaren driver had qualified on pole for the race, but the lead was snatched away when Verstappen overtook him on the run down to the first corner.

Verstappen took to the outside, grippier line, and then overtook the Australian and effectively kept the lead until the chequered flag.

The win was a reminder that Verstappen is still in the hunt for the title, having closed the gap to within 10 points of Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship.

Discussing the Dutchman’s performance on the Cameron CC podcast, Peter Windsor highlighted how Verstappen displayed similar traits to Juan Manuel Fangio.

Max Verstappen compared to Juan Manuel Fangio after Emilia Romagna GP win

Fangio was one of F1’s first great world champions, having won five titles for different teams, all of which came after the age of 40 years old.

Verstappen is currently defending his crown and stands a chance of matching Fangio’s title feat if he wins this year. Windsor has compared the Dutchman to the Argentine, after seeing how he defeated McLaren in inferior machinery at Imola.

“That’s what you think when you talk about Fangio at the Nurburgring in 1957. The Ferraris were quicker, he was in the Maserati 250F, and he just thought his way through how a racing driver could beat the two Ferraris,” said Windsor.

“Show Max any circuit where it’s just a narrow ribbon for error like Imola, where so many things can happen, like we saw with the rookies, and you have to be very, very accurate in everything you do.

“Accuracy comes from the way Max drives; it’s very subtle, very soft, which allows him to play with variables as he comes into a corner. If you drive any other way, you’ll be in trouble like we saw with Oscar with his overheating tyres and Lando in qualifying.”

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Jacques Villeneuve compares Max Verstappen to Ayrton Senna

The comparisons between Verstappen and legends of F1 did not stop, with 1996 world champion Jacques Villeneuve comparing him to Ayrton Senna.

Villeneuve felt Verstappen drove like Senna in Imola, having beaten the two McLarens when he was in a car that was not the favourite to win.

Karun Chandhok was baffled by Oscar Piastri’s strategy at McLaren, while Lando Norris arguably lost the race in qualifying when he made a mistake in Q3.

Verstappen will be hopeful that he can continue this form heading into the other European races, especially if McLaren bring upgrades that put them further ahead of Red Bull.