Jenson Button makes eye-opening pick in Max Verstappen v Lewis Hamilton debate
Who is the best F1 driver on the current F1 grid? Jenson Button believes it’s Max Verstappen.
2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has explained why he feels Max Verstappen, and not Lewis Hamilton, stands out as the best driver in F1 today.
Button has repeatedly praised Verstappen’s skills behind the wheel in recent years, as the Dutchman rose to win four world championships in a row from 2021-24.
Verstappen’s stock has only grown this year thanks to his ability to extract the maximum performance out of a less-than-competitive package, with victories at Suzuka and Imola being the highlights of his season so far.
Statistically, Button’s former McLaren teammate Hamilton is the greatest driver of all time, having clinched seven world championships, 105 race wins, 202 podiums and 104 pole positions in a career that began almost two decades in 2007.
However, unlike his younger rival Verstappen, Hamilton has had a more difficult time in 2025 after leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, with the 40-year-old yet to stand on a podium in a Sunday race this year.
Now working as a pundit for Sky, Button placed Verstappen ahead of Hamilton in his 2025 driver rankings, saying no one currently matches the Red Bull driver’s speed.
“Max, he is the most rounded F1 driver that there has ever been,” Button said on the Chris Moyles Show On Radio X. “I know he hasn't won the championships of Lewis.
“I obviously think Lewis is extremely good and one of the best in the world, but there is just something about Max that he can do something with the car that I don't think anyone else can.
“Lewis, I was teammates with him for three years and the talent. The natural ability he has is unbelievable.
“He would struggle in practice, come to qualifying. I'm like, ‘right, I've got him. I'm gonna have him’. And he just, ‘bang, puts in a lap’. He just came from nowhere. Extreme talent.
“And obviously the career has had, I'm not sure anyone is going to beat his records.
“But just thinking about this moment in time, it's Max that can do more with the car than anyone else.”
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Rachit joined the Crash.net team in 2025 with a primary focus on F1 and sportscar racing.
He previously served as a news editor at Motorsport.com, where he played a key role in the day-to-day editorial operations.
