'Most rounded F1 driver ever': Jenson Button hails Max Verstappen's unique talent

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Former Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button believes Max Verstappen stands alone as the “most rounded F1 driver that there has ever been”, praising the Dutchman’s ability to extract the maximum from any car.

Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Button reflected on Verstappen’s incredible talent, despite a slightly tougher 2025 season so far. The Red Bull driver currently sits third in the Drivers' Championship on 165 points, trailing leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points and second-placed Lando Norris by 61.

Still, Button said Verstappen’s all-round abilities make him the best on the current grid.

“I feel he's the most rounded F1 driver that there has ever been,” Button said. “And I know he hasn't won the championships of Lewis [Hamilton]. And I obviously think Lewis is extremely, extremely good and one of the best in the world. But there's just something about Max that he can do something with a car that I don't think anyone else can.”

Verstappen’s F1 record speaks for itself: four World Championships, 65 race wins, 44 pole positions, and 117 podiums since debuting in 2015. While 2025 has brought stiffer competition, Button still places him a cut above the rest.

When asked who he sees as the second-best driver currently, Button pointed to the McLaren duo. “I think Lando and Oscar are both up there,” he said. “They're very different personalities. I think Lando can be his own worst enemy. He's unbelievably quick, but if he makes a tiny mistake… I think he thinks about it too much.

“Oscar is very level-headed. He just wants to go racing, and he wants to drive fast, and he does it very well.”

Button, who partnered Lewis Hamilton at McLaren from 2010 to 2012, also recalled how Hamilton’s natural flair often stunned him. “I was teammates with him for three years, and the talent, the natural ability he has, is unbelievable,” he said. “He would struggle in practice, come to qualify, I'm like, ‘Right, I've got him. I'm going to have him.’ And he’d just, bang, put in a lap. It just came from nowhere.”

“Extreme talent, and obviously the career he's had — I'm not sure anyone's going to beat that, his records. But just thinking about this moment in time, I feel that Max is the one who can do more with a car than anyone else,” he said.

--IANS

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