Former Ferrari team member Gino Rosato praises Max Verstappen as F1’s top driver after Michael Schumacher. Gino Rosato praises Max Verstappen as the best Formula 1 driver since Michael Schumacher’s retirement.

The opinion of the former Ferrari figure

“I could write a message right now to Max Verstappen or Jos Verstappen and I would get a reply within two minutes. They are genuine people, they don’t behave based on how much money or profit they could gain from building or avoiding relationships with others.” This is how Gino Rosato emphasized the authenticity and down-to-earth nature of the Verstappen family, describing how they remain unaffected by the pitfalls and distractions that inevitably surround the unique and intense environment of the Formula 1 paddock.

“Jos Verstappen is a tough and pure man; I wouldn’t advise anyone to cross him,” added the former Ferrari pillar during his guest appearance on the YouTube channel PitStop. “And what can you say about him? Criticize him for raising one of the greatest beasts—sportingly speaking—that has ever arrived in Formula 1? I often see many parents overly protecting their children, saying ‘poor kid, he needs this, he needs that,’ but Jos is old school. With Max, he simply put his son face to face with the fact that if he wanted to be the best, he had to accept what it meant to try to become one of the greatest drivers ever seen in Formula 1. And since Michael Schumacher retired, Max Verstappen is without a doubt the best driver to have arrived in Formula 1.”

“Neither Max nor his father care about politics,” Gino Rosato continued. “Max only focuses on driving, and in this respect, he is very similar to Kimi Räikkönen, but Max Verstappen is less grumpy and less inclined to close himself off; he is more playful. And besides having raised an exceptional talent on the track, Jos also raised a true gentleman. Max is often portrayed as arrogant, but when you are number one, you attract criticism—it is inevitable. When I hear or read that Max Verstappen is an ahole, I can guarantee you that I would love to be an ahole like Max Verstappen. When he is not racing, he dedicates himself to his family and simple things without getting lost in empty matters. I have been inside this world for 30 years, and I have seen many drivers lose their way.”