Alain Prost pinpoints where Max Verstappen is ‘the same’ as Ayrton Senna

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Max Verstappen is on course to leapfrog Ayrton Senna by winning his fourth world championship this year. At the halfway stage of the season, he leads Lando Norris by 84 points.

Since Formula 1 adopted its current points system in 2010, no driver has come back from a margin larger than 46. That was Verstappen himself, who rallied to defeat Charles Leclerc in 2022.

The Dutchman is poised to become just the fifth driver in F1 history to win four straight titles. Juan Manuel-Fangio (1954-57), Sebastian Vettel (2010-13) and Lewis Hamilton (2017-20) achieved that feat, while Michael Schumacher (2000-04) managed five in a row.

Verstappen has already surpassed Senna for Grand Prix wins. He did so with his 42nd career victory at the 2023 Austrian GP, and he’s added 19 more to his tally since.

However, he still trails the iconic Brazilian for pole positions. Verstappen needs another 25 to match Senna (65), who remains third all-time.

The 26-year-old recently named the former McLaren driver as one of his top five drivers ever. Alongside Senna, Verstappen selected Schumacher, Hamilton, Fangio and Fernando Alonso.

Alain Prost says Max Verstappen has same racing reputation as Ayrton Senna

Should he win a fourth title, Verstappen will move level with Alain Prost. The Frenchman was a teammate of Senna at McLaren in 1988 and 1989, and their rivalry is seen as one of the greatest in F1 history.

Writing in his column for L’Equipe, Prost picked out a key similarity between Senna and Verstappen. He says they both had the ‘same reputation’ for ‘aggressive’ wheel-to-wheel conduct.

The Red Bull driver’s approach came under heavy scrutiny after the events of the Austrian Grand Prix. He collided with Norris as he tried to hold onto top spot late on, earning himself a 10-second penalty.

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Many F1 drivers feel Verstappen crossed the line at times in 2021 when he was battling with Hamilton. But Prost has leapt to his defence.

“Yes, Max is a very tough racer,” he wrote. “That is in his DNA and will not change. But it also makes him so strong and he should not have to pay the price for his tough image. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had the same reputation as aggressive drivers.”

Verstappen floor damage could give Red Bull cost-cap issue

Verstappen was able to cruise to the title in 2023, but when he’s faced genuine competition, consistency has arguably been his greatest asset. Red Bull were struggling at Silverstone last time out, but he was still able to finish second from fourth on the grid, just 1.5 seconds adrift of winner Hamilton.

He made a highly uncharacteristic error in qualifying, running through the gravel at Copse on a drying track. Fortunately, he managed to avoid the fate of Sergio Perez, who became beached in the gravel at the same corner.

However, there could still be lasting consequences. Christian Horner admitted that Verstappen destroyed the floor of his RB20, forcing Red Bull to rebuild a part that was brand-new for the weekend.

This will make it more difficult for the team to comply with F1’s budget cap. Earlier in the season, Perez led the field for total repair costs.