Max Verstappen receives unusual 'art' critique from F1 rival

Max Verstappen produces "pure class" in F1 behind the wheel of his Red Bull, according to Stake driver Nico Hulkenberg.

The German believes the four-time drivers' champion is so talented that what he is able to achieve is "almost an art form."

Compared with his team-mates, the 27-year-old is able to extract significantly more from the machinery provided by the Milton Keynes squad.

This is not a recent development with the RB21 or RB20 of last season. It has been the case since before Daniel Ricciardo left the team at the end of 2018.

Following the departure of the Australian from the six-time constructors' champions, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson have joined and failed to measure up against Verstappen. Now it is Yuki Tsunoda's chance to try and make the grade against the Dutchman.

Whilst Ricciardo and later Perez were more closely matched, the balance of power was shifting away from the former during his time at Red Bull and the latter capitulated during his final 18 months with the team, directly leading to his firing, which arguably should have come sooner.

It is well established that Verstappen likes a nervous, pointy car with a significant amount of front end. It is something both Albon and Lawson have likened to playing video game Call of Duty with the sensitivity settings turned all the way up.

It is also widely accepted that Red Bull makes its cars in the 64-time grand prix winner's image. Given how difficult cars designed that way are to drive, it goes a substantial way to understanding where the disparity in performance comes from.

However, Hulkenberg maintains people still "underestimate" just how good Verstappen is.

"The cars are the same, but Max is exceptionally good," the 37-year-old told Dutch website Nu.nl. "What he does is pure class, almost an art form. People sometimes underestimate how good he is.

"Red Bull is an environment where you have to perform right away. If you don't succeed, it affects your self-confidence. Especially if your team-mate is Max Verstappen. The culture there is very tough."