RaceFans Round-up: Verstappen ‘probably the best ever’

In brief

Verstappen “probably the best” – Berger

Berger, who shared teams with the likes of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell during a career in which he won 10 grands prix, says Verstappen should be considered the greatest of all time.

“Senna and [Michael] Schumacher benefited from racing karts from an early age and doing nothing else in life other than racing,” said the former Ferrari and McLaren racer told Auto Motor und Sport. “This applies to all drivers today.

“But Verstappen still drives virtual races on the simulator in his free time. Sometimes three a day. So he is always busy with this topic. He thinks through where you can overtake and where you can’t. Neither Senna, Schumacher nor [Lewis] Hamilton had this tool.

“It’s just noticeable that Max is always in the right place. At the start, in the first corner, in a duel. I can’t think of anything that could be done better than him. That’s why Max Verstappen is probably the best we’ve ever seen in Formula 1.”

Ferrari pair concluded Pirelli test

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr concluded a two-day tyre test for Pirelli at the Circuit de Catalunya yesterday. Their work was focused on developing rubber for the 2025 season “with the aim of reducing overheating”, according to Pirelli.

Sainz logged 90 laps, Leclerc 72, the latter setting a best time of 1’15.068 to his team mate’s 1’15.802. Between them they covered 1,400 kilometres of running in last year’s SF-23 at the current Spanish Grand Prix venue. Ferrari will continue running at the track tomorrow with a 2022-specification SF-22.

Capito moves into Nitrocross

Former Williams team principal Jost Capito has joined the electric rallycross series Nitrocross as a senior advisor. Capito, who also previously headed up Volkswagen successful World Rally Championship team, said “our collective vision is to not only push the boundaries of motorsports but also inspire a new era of competition and innovation.”

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