Only a small number of drivers in the history of Formula 1<\/a> have won four drivers\u2019 championships<\/a>, and even fewer have done it consecutively.<\/p>\n Ayrton Senna\u2019s<\/a> career tragically ended in 1994, having only won three titles.<\/p>\n Williams looked like the team to beat that year, even if Senna had failed to finish any of the first three races, and whether he would have beaten Michael Schumacher that season will never be known.<\/p>\n However, the Brazilian is still the benchmark for many drivers, with Lando Norris recently compared to Senna<\/a> as he battles for his first championship.<\/p>\n David Coulthard\u2019s<\/a> Formula 1 career was connected to both Senna and Verstappen, replacing the Brazilian at Williams after his death, and playing a crucial role in the development of Red Bull into a championship-winning team.<\/p>\n He was asked who he would choose between Senna at his peak and Verstappen, and gave a very interesting answer.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen\u2019s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend<\/a><\/p>\n Coulthard was asked on The Asa Park Podcast who would win between peak Verstappen and peak Senna in the same car, and he explained: \u201cWell, of course, we\u2019d never know for sure.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd whatever answer I give is going to alienate and upset those who would pick the other.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if we believe in evolution and if we believe that every generation is better than the previous, otherwise we don\u2019t evolve, then peak Max would beat peak Ayrton.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think even Max would want to romantically look to Ayrton as someone who was a sort of guiding star, even maybe for himself, even though Ayrton died before Max was with us.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that he would acknowledge that the fact that he still revered today, 30 years and more after his passing, gives him a star quality<\/p>\n \u201cMax would not want to say, I\u2019m better, because one, it\u2019s pointless. Two, Max is a respectful individual.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200b\u200bAgain, like many of these greats, they can be divisive. Ayrton was not everyone\u2019s favourite while he was racing, but he was a very hard, aggressive racer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was prepared, as he said, in Suzuka when they gave pole position on the different side of the track than he thought was fair.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said if he wasn\u2019t leading into the first corner, he would crash into Prost. He wasn\u2019t leading, so he crashed into Prost. He was a man of conviction!\u201d<\/p>\n It was then put to Coulthard that people had suggested Senna would win over one lap, but Verstappen would have the edge in a race, and he concluded: \u201cI think Max would accept that, because in the end he wants to win the race, and if he had to defer to the legacy and the name of Ayrton, that seems like a fair place to land.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: All to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash<\/a><\/p>\n How do Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen\u2019s Formula 1 statistics compare?<\/p>\n There are certain aspects of Verstappen and Senna\u2019s careers where it wouldn\u2019t be fair to compare the two drivers.<\/p>\n For example, Senna scored 610 points in his F1 career, but the change in how points are allocated means that Verstappen\u2019s tally of 3210.5 is insignificant.<\/p>\n![\"McLaren](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-151357119-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA\/AFP via Getty ImagesDavid Coulthard says peak Max Verstappen would win over peak Ayrton Senna<\/p>\n![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2215328753-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jay Hirano\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n