F1 champion dismisses overblown Clarkson Verstappen claim

Jacques Villeneuve has waved away Jeremy Clarkson's suggestion that Max Verstappen might already be the greatest F1 driver of all time.

The former Top Gear presenter, who has previously said he would rather watch flowers grow than a modern-day F1 race, wrote in his column for The Sun that the Dutchman "may even be the greatest driver we’ve ever seen" in the championship.

It is a statement that set tongues wagging over what is an already-contentious subject.

The Dutchman still has some way to go to reach the achievements of other drivers often included in the 'greatest of all time' conversation.

If he does secure, as expected, a fourth consecutive drivers' title at the end of 2024, he will become one of only five F1 racers to do so, but will still have fewer championships than the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, and fewer victories than the latter two.

Furthermore, it is often argued that such debates are reductive, inaccurate and ultimately pointless given how the championship has changed era by era since its inception in 1950, something Villeneuve highlights himself.

The Canadian, who won the 1997 F1 drivers' title, was quick to point out that whilst Verstappen triumphed over Lewis Hamilton in the "great" 2021 season, he has rarely been challenged since.

Villeneuve drew parallels between the 27-year-old's 2022 and '23 campaigns to the "easy" years the British driver enjoyed during his championship run at Mercedes.

“How can Jeremy Clarkson say Max Verstappen is the greatest of all time? He had a great season when he beat Lewis for his first championship," the 53-year-old told Grosvenor Sport.

“So he's had the same way that Lewis won his first one. Then he's had easy ones, the same way Lewis had easy ones. And this year he's been fighting back. So this year has been a great year.

“You cannot compare the era of Fangio to now. They are different eras. So you cannot say any of them is the greatest of all time. The sport has changed too much.”