Lewis Hamilton is the only driver in the same league as Ayrton Senna, according to Gerhard Berger.
The Austrian knows first hand what it is like to work alongside the great Brazilian having replaced Alain Prost at McLaren in the early 1990s.
He also had the chance to race against Michael Schumacher and watched the rise of today’s top drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.
“Everybody asks me ‘How do you see this driver against Ayrton?’ and I always, in all the years, say ‘I don’t see anybody near to Ayrton,” Berger told Reuters.
“But Lewis is [now] the first driver I put on the same level as Ayrton.”
Of course many point to the achievements of the relevant drivers when it comes to the debate of who is Formula 1’s ‘GOAT’, but Berger has his own criteria.
“I go more by feeling and watching, there were great champions like Nelson [Piquet], like Niki [Lauda], like Prost, like Michael but there has always been one above them, Ayrton,” he added.
“And now Lewis I see in the same league.”
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As with all great drivers though, there is always a new generation that rises up to eventually end their time at the top and Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes that time is now.
“It’s exciting times for Formula 1 to have the likes of Max [Verstappen], the emerging talent of Charles Leclerc and hopefully we’ll see Pierre Gasly join that group as well,” he told Sky Sports.
Certainly, Verstappen is one name that many have tipped to go on and score multiple championships and perhaps carve his own place in F1 history.
“He’s done a remarkable job.” the Red Bull boss added. “During the course of last year, he really selected another gear and pretty much since Montreal onwards.
“He’s very much at the top of his game and enjoying the position he’s in. He’s driven three very strong Grands Prix this year.
“The exciting thing about him is that he will only develop and get better from here.”
