Nigel Mansell explains how he reacted when he was first compared to ‘stunning’ Max Verstappen

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Max Verstappen has surpassed almost every previous Formula 1 driver’s winning tally at the age of just 27.

Only Lewis Hamilton (105) and Michael Schumacher (91) have more Grand Prix wins than Max Verstappen (63) and Juan Manuel Fangio is one of just three drivers – alongside Hamilton and Schumacher – who has won more world championships than the Dutchman.

Verstappen can already be considered among the all-time greats in Formula 1 and Red Bull are greatly indebted to the results he’s achieved over the past few years.

Similarly to Schumacher at Ferrari, Verstappen didn’t immediately taste success when he joined Red Bull and had to wait several seasons before he won his first championship with the team.

However, he goes into 2025 with the chance to match the German’s record of five consecutive titles, however, it’s hard to know whether Red Bull will be competitive enough for him to achieve that.

Red Bull have given nothing away with their latest car design, suggesting that they’re either hiding something from their rivals or hoping to postpone the disappointment of their fans if they’ve not made radical changes.

Going back to Verstappen’s early days in Formula 1 it was clear that he was a special talent even if he didn’t have the accolades to show it at that point.

The Dutchman was compared to Nigel Mansell early in his career and the British F1 champion responded in the perfect way.

Nigel Mansell honoured to be compared to Red Bull star Max Verstappen

Mansell was told during an interview in 2019 for Motorsport Magazine that Adrian Newey previously said Verstappen reminded him of the British champion.

He reacted to that claim by saying: “I feel it’s a great compliment.

“I think Max is a stunning talent. I wish for Max everything, he got the great support of Red Bull.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

“He’s a young driver, he’s won fantastic [races], he’s had a few whoopsies which he didn’t need to have which is frustrating for the fans and for the sport and he got squeezed at Spa, but he probably played a bigger part in that.

“But Max is a stunning revelation in Formula 1, as I hope Charles Leclerc is, as I hope other great young drivers get the opportunity to be as well.

“So, it’s nice to be remembered and I can just thank destiny in a way to work with the late, great Paul Newman and Carl Haas that I had the adventure that I had [in IndyCar].”

Adrian Newey loved Nigel Mansell’s ‘elbows-out’ style that he saw in Max Verstappen

Newey, in an interview with Autosport two years prior to Mansell being informed of his comparison, said about Verstappen: “Max has been an exciting newcomer, well not newcomer as it was his second year strictly speaking last year.

“But the way he drove the car did remind me of Nigel’s driving style. What was dramatic about Mansell was that you always knew it was him in the car.

“He had an almost metaphoric elbows-out driving style. Max is the same and it is exciting television.

“It’s very reminiscent of Nigel. It’s that sort of ‘I’m not going to be bullied, I’m going to do my thing and if you don’t like it it’s your problem’ approach.”

READ MORE: Nigel Mansell makes his pick for the greatest F1 driver of all time after partnering six world champions

The Dutchman’s driving style has barely changed and his encyclopaedic knowledge of Formula 1’s rules means he knows exactly how far he can push the limits when he’s racing wheel-to-wheel with his rivals.

Mansell might not have imagined just how successful Verstappen would go on to be after being told about the comparison, but it’s hard to disagree with Newey that they approached racing in Formula 1 in very similar ways.