On the heels of winning the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, Masashi Yamamoto hails Dutch F1 star Max Verstappen, comparing the Red Bull driver to the late great Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna. Verstappen's win in Monaco was the first time Honda, either as a factory team or engine supplier, won F1's flagship event since 1992. In fact it was Senna who delivered the Japanese giant's previous win at Monaco, leading the director of their F1 project to find similarties between the Brazilian champion and the Dutch racer. "Honda won the Monaco Grand Prix six times in a row from 1987 to 1992, five of those victories coming from Ayrton Senna," Yamamoto said on a Honda F1 personal blog. "Coincidentally, this is the first time for Honda to win in Monaco since Senna in the second season, but I always see an overlap between Verstappen and Ayrton Senna, who is a very special driver for Honda because his driving is very similar to Senna's. "At just 23 years of age, he still has the potential to match and surpass Senna's record of six Monaco victories and I'm delighted to have helped him take that step." Yamamoto also went on to stress how much a win at Monaco meant to everyone at the company and stated is was a real confidence booster for the upcoming race in Baku. "Winning at Monaco, especially in such a difficult race, requires a combination of driver skill, team race strategy, speed in the pits, and the power and drivability of the power unit," Yamamoto explained. "So winning here is a real confidence booster for Red Bull Racing Honda and a great morale booster for the whole team as we fight for the championship in the long and difficult season ahead, starting with Azerbaijan. It was an exceptional victory for everyone." The results from the Monaco Grand Prix also meant that Red Bull and Verstappen lead both the Constructor's and Driver's championship, with the Dutch star taking the lead of the driver's standings for the first time in his career.
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