Jenson Button Hails Max Verstappen, Calls Him 'Most Rounded F1 Driver Ever'

Last Updated:July 21, 2025, 22:59 IST

Jenson Button praised Max Verstappen as the most rounded F1 driver ever, despite a challenging 2025 season.

Formula One: Max Verstappen at Red Bull (AP)

Former Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button regards Max Verstappen as the “most rounded F1 driver that there has ever been", lauding the Dutchman’s ability to maximise performance from any car.

Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Button reflected on Verstappen’s remarkable talent, despite a relatively challenging 2025 season. The Red Bull driver is currently third in the Drivers’ Championship with 165 points, trailing leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points and second-placed Lando Norris by 61.

Nevertheless, Button asserted that Verstappen’s comprehensive 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 is impressive: four World Championships, 65 race wins, 44 pole positions, and 117 podiums since his debut in 2015. Although 2025 has presented tougher competition, Button still considers him a notch above the rest.

Who Is Next Best?

When asked about the second-best driver currently, Button named 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 Hamilton’s natural flair often amazed him. “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.

(With inputs from IANS)

Ritayan Basu

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...Read More

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...

Read More

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News sports Jenson Button Hails Max Verstappen, Calls Him 'Most Rounded F1 Driver Ever'