Steiner Shares His Opinion On Verstappen Vs NASCAR Champion Debate
F1Friday, 16 August 2024 at 10:54
Updated at Friday, 16 August 2024 at 10:57
The former F1 team principal shared his thoughts on the recent debate among motorsport fans about whether Kyle Larson is better than Max Verstappen.
If you're not familiar with this topic, 2021 NASCAR Cup Champion Kyle Larson made quite a statement, saying he is a better all-around driver than F1's triple World Champion Max Verstappen.
Who is Larson to make such a big statement? The 32-year-old is quite acomplished when it comes to the racing series on the American continent.
He is considered one of the most verstaille drivers as he managed to win competitions in multiple types of cars on both asphalt and dirt surfaces. In an interview with GP Blog, Steiner first shared what he thinks of Larson:
"I think Kyle Larson is a very talented guy. I like more what he does in a sprint car. NASCAR, he's very good. He's one of the best. He won a championship."
"The guy is a good driver. I learned that in my own way. Every series has got its speciality. You cannot say because I'm fast in NASCAR, I will be fast in an F1 car. It's completely different!"
The former Haas team principal has spent two years in NASCAR, working as team Red Bull's technical director. Consequently, he has a good understanding of both F1 and NASCAR.
He believes that no driver can be at the top in multiple series, as they are completely different. For example, he mentioned Juan Pablo Montoya.
He was one of the best F1 drivers, but in seven full NASCAR seasons, he scored only two race victories and hasn't finished better than P8 in the Championship.
"There is not one person who can do everything. You see F1 drivers, which are very good F1 drivers, have difficulty in IndyCar."
"For example Montoya, who was one of the best drivers in Formula One. When he went to NASCAR, it wasn't so easy for him. Always because it is a speciality."
Kyle Larson specializes in oval racing, which is completely different from what Max Verstappen does in F1. Steiner doesn't believe the two drivers could beat each other in their respective disciplines.
"I'm pretty sure Max Verstappen will not beat Kyle Larson in a sprint car. It's not going to happen. Will Kyle Larson beat Max in an F1 car? It's not going to happen."
"So I see it like this. But will Kyle Larson be able to drive an F1 car fast? Yeah, sure. But would he be fast in a race? Only if he has time."
Larson basically suggested he would beat the Dutchman in anything other than open-wheel (F1 or Indycar, for example). Steiner hasn't addressed how the matchup could go in other series, like the Porsche Cup (which isn't a specialty of either of the two), which is a shame, but he added:
"For sure, I would put him [Larson] there as one of the best drivers, but saying that he's better than Max Verstappen in an F1 car, I'm not going with that."
"I wouldn't go this far as saying Max would be better than Kyle Larson in a NASCAR or in a sprint car. That's not going to happen."
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