Damon Hill Hails Max Verstappen as Racing Phenomenon

Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill heaped praise on Max Verstappen in the High Performance podcast — calling the Red Bull driver a phenomenon in motorsport.

“He’s operating at the highest level, no doubt about it. In terms of effectiveness, preparedness, maturity, and speed — he is a phenomenon, and there are very few like him. These are names we know like Fangio, Jim Clark, Senna, and Michael Schumacher,” Hill said.

His praise comes during a challenging 2025 Formula 1 season for Verstappen, who currently sits third in the drivers’ standings with 124 points — behind McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The Dutch driver recently secured his second win of the season at Imola, pulling off a stunning overtake on Piastri at the Tamburello corner.

Interestingly, just a year ago, Hill had criticized Verstappen’s aggressive driving style — comparing him to the cartoon villain Dick Dastardly. Hill emphasized the importance of clean and skillful racing.

“We want to see skill and bravery. We want to see it done with precision, not with roughness. You want to see it done cleanly, effectively, and beautifully,” Hill added.