Vettel on Max Verstappen: "The Scary Thing Is He's Getting Better"

Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula 1 world champion and former Red Bull teammate of Max Verstappen’s predecessor era, has recently offered high praise for the Dutch driver’s ongoing development. In a November 2025 appearance on the official F1 podcast Beyond the Grid (recorded during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend), Vettel described Verstappen’s relentless improvement as “scary.”

Vettel stated:

“I think the scary thing is, he’s getting better. We know he’s good, but he’s still improving, he’s still hungry, and he’s still willing to learn.”

He emphasized that Verstappen’s talent is not static—despite already securing four world titles (2021–2024), the 28-year-old continues to evolve. Vettel highlighted Verstappen’s work ethic off the track, composure under pressure, and maturity in wheel-to-wheel battles:

“You look at Max in his moves when he was young or when he was in his first one, two, three, four years; his behaviour now is much more mature. He still goes for the impossible gaps and makes them possible… but he doesn’t go for all the gaps because he knows they’re not important right now.”

Vettel also noted Verstappen’s ability to remain calm in high-stakes moments:

“In the situations where it matters, he keeps his head, hardly ever makes a mistake, delivers when he needs to.”

This assessment came amid the intense 2025 title fight, where Verstappen mounted a remarkable comeback despite Red Bull’s car challenges, closing a large deficit to McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri before narrowly missing a fifth consecutive title (finishing second to Norris by two points). Vettel suggested Verstappen’s experience in pressure-cooker scenarios gives him an edge over title newcomers like Norris and Piastri.

The comments, widely reported by outlets including Motorsport.com (December 20, 2025), RacingNews365, PlanetF1, ESPN, and Crash.net, underscore Vettel’s admiration for Verstappen’s growth. Earlier in 2025 (March), Vettel revealed he privately told Verstappen “you’re better than me” ahead of the Dutchman breaking his record of consecutive wins, showing mutual respect between the two Red Bull legends.

Vettel’s remarks highlight a consensus in F1 circles: Verstappen, already one of the sport’s all-time greats, shows no signs of plateauing.