Max Verstappen told what he must now do to have a better racing career than F1 rival Fernando Alonso

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Jacques Villeneuve has shared what he thinks Max Verstappen must do in order for his racing career to be considered better than that of Fernando Alonso’s.

Max Verstappen has to be considered in conversations about who the greatest F1 driver of all time is, with the Dutchman already notching up four world championships, 65 Grand Prix victories and a multitude of F1 records during his 11-season career.

Villeneuve recently shared his opinion on why he feels like Mario Andretti should be seen as the greatest F1 champion in the history of the sport, whilst ranking other world champions of the sport in the process.

The 1997 world champion made some controversial choices on his way to crowning Andretti, opting for Fernando Alonso over a seven-time world champion in the process.

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Fernando Alonso’s longevity is what put him above Max Verstappen for Jacques Villeneuve

In a recent appearance on The Red Flags podcast, Villeneuve stated his case for who should be crowned the king of F1 world champions. In a bracket format, Verstappen was pitted against names like Damon Hill, Nelson Piquet and Fernando Alonso.

Villeneuve opted for Alonso over Verstappen, noting the 43-year-old’s longevity as the deciding factor between the two world champions, saying, “They’re very similar. Very similar. I would still put Alonso ahead now because of how long he’s been at it.

“If Verstappen can be like this for 20 years, fine. Alonso has been at it, and he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well.

“We’ll talk again in five or 10 years, and it will be Verstappen because Verstappen will win Le Mans or he will win the 24 hours of Nurburgring. He will do other things, but it’s still early in his career. You have to compare the whole career.”

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Max Verstappen’s versatility in F1 makes him a better champion than Damon Hill and Nelson Piquet

On his way to deciding between Verstappen and Alonso in the penultimate round of the bracket, Villeneuve opted for the Dutchman over three-time champion Piquet and the 1996 champion, Damon Hill.

The Canadian’s reasoning for choosing Verstappen over his Williams teammate was clear: “Verstappen is just a machine. Just a machine. He never gets tired. It doesn’t matter what the car can or cannot do. He will be there. He will find a way to make it competitive.”

He reiterated Verstappen’s consistency when comparing Piquet with the four-time world champion, adding, “We’ve seen him good when the team was average, good when the team was good.”

Verstappen has made his feelings about wanting to race in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) clear in the past. With the recent speculation about his future at Red Bull in question, Mercedes is one of the teams that could offer him a seat at Le Mans if he opts to sign for them in the future.