Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve disagrees with presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s proclamation of Max Verstappen as ‘the greatest driver we have ever seen.’ The Canadian believes it is impossible to fairly compare drivers from different eras, and therefore, to draw such a conclusion.
Not all of the British press seems to suffer from the so-called ‘British bias.’ British presenter Jeremy Clarkson, known for ‘The Grand Tour’ and ‘Top Gear,’ criticized Lewis Hamilton in his column for ‘The Sun,’ while hailing Max Verstappen as “perhaps the greatest driver we have ever seen.” However, former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve does not agree with the Brit.
“How can Jeremy Clarkson say that Max Verstappen is the best of all time?” the Canadian questions, speaking to ‘Grosvenor Sport.’ The former world champion believes that Verstappen still has to prove himself worthy of such a title. “He had a great season when he beat Lewis for his first championship. So he won in the same way Lewis won his first (world title). After that, he had easy championships, just like Lewis had easy championships.”
Villeneuve does commend Verstappen for how he fought back in 2024. The Dutchman had a tougher time this year with the competition from the stronger McLaren cars than during Red Bull’s dominant period. “This year he fought back. So this year was a great year,” the Canadian also admits.
Sport Has Changed Too Much
Yet, Villeneuve finds it difficult to compare different eras of Formula 1 drivers. This makes it hard for the former driver to declare a single greatest driver of all time. “You can’t compare Fangio’s era with now. They are different eras. So you can’t say that one of them is the best of all time. The sport has changed too much,” concludes the former world champion.
