Alain Prost’s former teammate sees a clear reason why Max Verstappen is ‘the best ever’

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Stefan Johansson raced against Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at the peak of their F1 careers, yet he unequivocally feels Max Verstappen is the greatest driver of all time.

The Swede started 79 of his 103 Grand Prix entries between 1980 and 1991, and even drove for legendary teams in Tyrrell, Ferrari and McLaren during that time. Johansson even moved from Ferrari to McLaren to partner Prost for the 1987 F1 season, before Senna took his seat.

Nelson Piquet beat Nigel Mansell to win the F1 drivers’ championship in 1987, before Senna denied Prost the 1988 title after Johansson joined Ligier. But what Johansson has seen from Verstappen since his debut in 2015 has proven that the Dutchman is the best F1 driver ever.

Max Verstappen is ‘the most complete’ F1 driver Stefan Johansson has ‘ever seen’

Verstappen has won the F1 drivers’ championship in each of the last four seasons, and 2025 may yet see the 28-year-old match Michael Schumacher as the only driver to win five titles in a row. He even has the third-most Grand Prix wins and the third-most podiums in history.

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

But beyond Verstappen’s stats, Johansson believes the Red Bull pilot is the greatest driver of all time as he is “the most complete” he has ever seen. The 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours outright winner also feels Verstappen is able to find lap time in qualifying that others cannot unlock.

Johansson told Formule1.NL: “Max is still getting better every year. I think that he’ll go down in history as the best ever. I’ve driven with and against great drivers, and I find it difficult to compare eras. But, for me, he’s the most complete driver I’ve ever seen.

“Max is so good, almost flawless. Even in qualifying, he finds half-tenths that aren’t there. His racing skills are incredible. He’s ultra-professional and manages races so well. Unbelievable, [he is] just like a machine.”

Max Verstappen is the only modern driver ‘with shoulders as broad’ as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost

Johansson is not the only driver who once shared the track with Prost and Senna who thinks Verstappen has a place among the greats, either. Emanuele Pirro believes Verstappen is “the only driver” on the grid today who deserves a spot alongside the French and Brazilian icons.

READ MORE: All to know about Alain Prost including Ayrton Senna rivalry and failed F1 team

Pirro, a six-time Le Mans winner including five outright victories, also believes Verstappen is the only driver on the F1 grid today who does not have a “psychological breaking point”. He further appreciates Verstappen’s ability to maintain his performances at a superb standard.

“The Dutchman is the only driver of the modern era with shoulders as broad as Ayrton and Alain’s,” Pirro told Motorsport.com. “Max lives and breathes racing, 24/7. All drivers have a psychological breaking point, but he doesn’t.

“Sooner or later, even the four-time world champion will reach that point. But, for now, he’s the only one who manages to maintain such a high level of performance without any fluctuations.”

Verstappen has won at least one Grand Prix in each of the past 10 seasons since he won the 2016 Spanish GP on debut for Red Bull, in his 24th F1 start. The 28-year-old also won on his GT3 debut in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie – SP9 on the Nordschleife in September.