'People can see how good Max Verstappen is now', says former F1 driver

According to Gijs van Lennep, former F1 driver, we really don't have to wait until Max Verstappen retires to see how good he really is. The Dutchman states that Verstappen has more than proven this over the past few years.

As it often happens in F1, many talents aren't appreciated during their active time in the series, a sentiment that has often been expressed regarding current world champion, Max Verstappen.

However, Van Lennep does not think that's true at all. "You can see that [how good Verstappen is] now, for four years, and this year again."

He brought up the Grand Prix of Japan as an example. "You see how he wins in Suzuka in his own way with a lesser car, because he naturally leads in clean air. That's nothing more and nothing less."

Verstappen celebrates the victory in Japan.

Van Lennep hopes F1 takes a step back

The former driver continued: "When I saw he was leading, I said: 'It's over, I don't need to watch anymore.' The rest is fun, but..." Van Lennep emphasized that his reaction was not about Verstappen, but about the regulations. "It's also a bit about the tyre regulations. It's not all roses and sunshine in Formula 1."

If it was up to the 83-year-old, the pinnacle of motorsport would take a completely different direction in terms of car development. "I would just like to go back [to] a bit smaller [cars], a bit less aerodynamics. Yes. I would like to go back a bit," he concluded.