Max Verstappen would be a match for Lewis Hamilton if they were placed within the same team, according to former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
The likelihood of the two competing for the same team is remote, with Verstappen currently under contract with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Hamilton likewise with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
Ecclestone believes that Sebastian Vettel, who is set to compete in his final season with Scuderia Ferrari in 2020 before Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr. takes over the drive for 2021, would run Hamilton close, providing that he eliminates the mistakes that blighted his 2019 campaign.
However, Ecclestone reckons that Dutchman Verstappen would definitely give the six-time World Champion a run for his money should the duo share a garage.
“You would automatically say Lewis [Hamilton],” said Ecclestone to Autocar about who he feels is the best driver on the current Formula 1 grid . “But are there other guys who would do a job as good as or better than him in the same team? Probably yes.
“Max Verstappen, a hundred per cent. Certainly Sebastian Vettel, although he has he gone off a little bit. All these guys are as good as the support they get.
“Lewis has got the maximum support. There’s not one thing missing from what he’s got behind him.”
