Stewart: I don't see much room for Verstappen to improve

Verstappen is heading, unstoppable, to his third Formula 1 World Championship title. Fresh from the recent Italian Grand Prix, where he won a record ten Grand Prix races in a row and extended his 2023 F1 Drivers' points table to a whopping 145 points over teammate Sergio Perez. And it's only Round 14 of 22!

In an interview with Bild, 84-year-old Stewart was asked if 25-year-old Verstappen has peaked in F1, the three time World Champion replied: "Typically, drivers develop until their late twenties. But to be honest: I don't see much room for Verstappen to improve.

"No matter whether it's raining, windy or hot - Max gets the absolute maximum out of the car everywhere. But you shouldn't forget that he's not a normal 25-year-old. He has been racing in F1 since he was 17 and is much more experienced than others his age," explained Stewart.

Indeed Verstappen has all but broken every F1 record since he broke into F1 as a 17-year-old back in 2015. Going from strength to strength with just about every race. Including this season, where he found an extra gear or two when he was confronted with an early challenge for race wins by RBR's Perez. Since then Max has simply been on another planet.

Stewart predicted: "It's hard to imagine at the moment, but people also thought with Lewis Hamilton that no one could beat him as long as he was active. It would be comparatively easy for Sergio Pérez to win the title.

"He is in the right team at the right time but only drives solidly and not outstandingly like Verstappen. It's even a little easier for Max to win multiple world titles in a row than it was in my time," ventured the Scot, a 27-time Grand Prix winner in the 99 Grand Prix races he competed in during the sixties and seventies.

While Verstappen's dominance has been something to behold for F1 purists, the fact is that Max winning every race Sunday is an excuse for fans to switch off, which F1 owners Liberty Media acknowledge is a challenging sell for the sport amid the Max and RBR dominating in such a manner.

Prompting the question: Is the Verstappen-era boring? Not according to Sir Jackie: "I don't find it boring at all, the entertainment factor is huge! Sure, the World Championship has been decided, but things are tight behind that.

"If Max didn't have such a good season, there would be a three-way championship fight between Sergio Pérez, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Three drivers from three different teams. That's exactly what the fans want to see. Because there are a lot more races.

"When I became world champion for the first time in 1969," recalled Stewart. "We only competed in eleven Grands Prix. This year the calendar consisted of 22 races. Given the number, you can afford to have a bad weekend and still have a chance of winning the title afterwards. But that is only half the truth."

Stewart participated in a very different era of F1. A time when there were a maximum of 16 races per championship, less earlier in the seventies and sixties. Thus F1 drivers also raced other disciplines, from sportscar racing, Indycar (USAC then) and a slew of international races that predominated the calendar in that era.

Top drivers of the time were busy racing just about every weekend, even in the northern winter months, they migrated south to Australia (Tasman Series) and South Africa (Springbok Series) where summer was in full swing, racing to be had and thus money earned. Also, death knocked often in those days.

Very different to modern F1 pilots according to Stewart: "All they do all year long is compete for their team. Back then I still had to drive in rallies, IndyCar, touring championships and many other competitions to earn enough money.

"While [F1] drivers now drive 24 races a year, I had 65 when I was at my peak. This meant that we traveled a lot more back then. My record for most Atlantic crossings in one year is 61! Don't forget: there were no private jets back then, I flew scheduled airlines. This is unimaginable for most drivers today," added Stewart.

Furthermore, how times have changed is witnessed in the stats. Verstappen at 25 is set to win his third F1 title this year, Stewart was 29 when he won his first of his three. The Scot contesting 99 Grands Prix during his legendary career, Verstappen will be making his 178th GP start, when he lines up on the Singapore grid next weekend.