In a recent interview, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was asked to list three athletes whom he thought were the greatest of all time. In that, he included six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan, among two other legends from different sports.

Joining Jordan in Perez’s list were Tiger Woods and Lionel Messi, but naming just three sportspersons was not an easy task for the Guadalajara-born driver. He said.

“It’s very difficult to compare the eras of different sportsmen.”

In the end, he named Jordan – who is also an inspiration for several other F1 drivers – and Messi and Woods, two of the best in their respective fields (soccer and golf).

Max Verstappen was also a part of this interview with Perez. But he did not answer the same question his teammate did. His reasoning was simple- athletes cannot be ranked.

He stated how each sport has different demands and how various disciplines bring out the best in a particular athlete, in a unique way.

Verstappen added that he likes to appreciate what everyone does in their sport, without comparing or pitting them against athletes from different sports. Perez too, agreed to this but still mentioned three individuals who stood out according to him.

Perez puts Verstappen in the GOAT category

With three World Titles and numerous records to his name, Verstappen – at the age of 26 – has already achieved legendary status in F1. Perez realizes that, and in an interview, he said,

“Max is very good and he is a very complete driver. He is without a doubt one of the best in the history of Formula 1, if not the best, for everything, for his education and because he has things that other Formula 1 drivers do not have.”

Verstappen’s ability to bring in results on days when his car isn’t at its best is what makes him so special. For the biggest part of 2024 (so far), Red Bull has not been the fastest. Still, Verstappen has the most number of race wins (6) and is leading the Championship.