Max Verstappen bluntly responds to NASCAR driver’s “I am better than him” claim

Max Verstappen has responded in trademark fashion to a NASCAR driver’s “I am better than him” statement.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson caused a stir ahead of this weekend’s F1 Dutch Grand Prix by insisting he possessed more talent behind the wheel than the F1 champion.

“I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” Larson said to Flo Racing about Verstappen.

“There’s no way he can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol.

“There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him just because of the car element.

“That’s what gives me ease and confidence that, like, I know I’m better than him.

“Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula 1 car, but that’s one discipline. I think I would beat him in everything else. You can quote that.”

Verstappen was given a chance to respond before his home grand prix.

“That’s fine,” he responded, bluntly. “Everyone thinks their own way, right?"

Do F1 drivers or NASCAR drivers have more talent?

NASCAR and F1 drivers have waded into this debate.

Kevin Harvick, the NASCAR driver, was quoted by Fox Sports: "If Kyle Larson went to drive Max Verstappen's car, it wouldn't be [in] one or two days, he would be damn close to being as fast as Max Verstappen in there.

“But there is no way that Max Verstappen comes over here and does that in a stock car.

"I think Max is extremely talented and very, very, very good at what he does for his discipline.

“I heard him talk about drivers being specialised in their discipline. That's not Kyle Larson. Kyle Larson can go out and drive anything!

“He's very good at his discipline, but he's got multiple disciplines. We saw what he did in an IndyCar.

“I truly believe that Max would do okay, but he's not going to do anything anywhere close to what Kyle Larson does.

"Some of the arrogance that comes from the international crowd on the media side to just say ‘you can’t do that, Kyle Larson, that's not even a fair comparison…’

“They just don't even know what they're talking about."

Fernando Alonso had his say at Zandvoort.

Two-time F1 champion Alonso has also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship, and has also driven at the Indy 500.

He joked: “I don’t know, I think Max is quite [good] in GTs as well. And I bet he’s good in everything, but he’s still not as good as me!

“You need to adapt very quickly to different disciplines. Oval racing is one thing, a completely independent technique and driving skills.

“Dakar Rally, pressing the throttle and the brake at the same time for six hours, just dominating the car, it’s not easy to adapt.”