Will Buxton and Peter Windsor join Natalie Pinkham to look back at the Brazilian GP and all the big F1 talking points
Wednesday 18 November 2015 20:59, UK
Max Verstappen drives in way that appears to defy the laws of motorsport physics, according to the guests on this week's F1 Midweek Report.
The 18-year-old Dutchman has proved one of the stars of the 2015 season with a string of eye-catching drives for Toro Rosso, performances which have already seen him labelled by many observers as a future world champion.
Verstappen was in the thick of the action again at last weekend's Brazilian GP and, speaking on Wednesday night's edition of F1 Midweek Report - which airs at 8.30pm on Sky Sports F1 - broadcasters Will Buxton and Peter Windsor hailed the youngster as a once-in-a-generation talent.
"Max is the most special thing I've seen in 10 years - he's just fabulous. He's one of those guys who takes your breath away when you watch him race," said Buxton, F1 pit lane reporter for American network NBC.
"The true 'megas' leave an instant impression on you. It was the same with Lewis [Hamilton], the same with Seb [Vettel] and it's the same with Max.
"From the first time you saw him in a single-seater, there's something he can do with that car. Designers will design a car that can do what a car can do within the realms of physics and the special drivers can take it beyond that and look like it's doing something that it shouldn't physically be able do."
Fellow journalist and broadcaster Windsor has been similarly wowed by Verstappen's driving style and says the youngster is already showing similar traits to those displayed by some of F1's most legendary names.
"He's so good at manipulating the car. You rarely see Max Verstappen out of line," said Windsor.
"You often see him dead straight where [team-mate] Carlos Sainz has got a bit of load on the car and therefore prone to an error or catching an edge or getting loose. Max has always got everything under control, just like Lewis.
"Listening to him talk and watching him think, if that makes sense, is very much like Michael [Schumacher] at his peak. The things he picks out of his day and the things he likes to talk about are exactly commensurate with the way Michael used to think."
Verstappen, who is tied to a central Red Bull contract, is already attracting admiring glances from rivals and Buxton added: "He's got a two-plus-one [deal] at Toro Rosso but I understand they want that 'plus one' to be at the big Red Bull team and if he doesn't get that Red Bull drive in 2017 he will be off somewhere else, be it Ferrari or Mercedes.
"That is just is just how strongly they believe in their abilities in the Verstappen camp."
Verstappen's latest impressive race is not the only topic up for discussion on a particularly hard-hitting edition of Midweek Report, however, as Buxton, Windsor and presenter Natalie Pinkham also look back at the battle at the front at Interlagos - and whether Mercedes need to allow Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to shape their own strategies in 2016.
Meanwhile, in the regular 'Mini Notebook' feature, Ted Kravitz is joined by Bruno Senna to discuss some of the key talking points from Sunday's race.
