Exclusive with Timo Glock: Max Verstappen is Michael Schumacher’s equal – but the German is the best driver of all time. Felipe Massa’s appeal could open floodgates for other appeals and Lando Norris can battle for the championship with McLaren
Speaking exclusively to Bitcoin Sportsbook LuckyBlock.com, former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock said that Max Verstappen is already Michael Schumacher’s equal in terms of talent.
The German also said that his fellow countryman is still the best driver of all time, but he believes Lewis Hamilton still has a chance of winning an eighth title if Mercedes produces a better car.
Glock infamously lost pace in the final lap of the 2008 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, in which Hamilton overtook him to claim his first-ever Driver’s World Championship. He believes Felipe Massa’s appeal to overturn that season can open the floodgates for other drivers to appeal other race outcomes in history.
Read the full interview below.
Q. What were your thoughts on the Brazil GP?
TG – ”Max was super impressive in Brazil! We thought there could have been the chance of a very interesting race against Lando Norris, but if Max needs to push a bit more and open the gap, he has a couple of 10s in his hand where he can make that difference. It was impressive to see Fernando in the fight with Sergio in the last few laps, and it was great to see him being clever enough to drive different lines to disturb Sergio. The way Fernando did it was great, and it shows his experience.
When the sprint race came around, I was wondering why Fernando was driving on the white line in the last corner. We saw it again in the race under pressure from Sergio, and that shows his vast experience and how he can adjust his driving style. It also shows his intelligence.”
Q. What are you predicting for the Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi GPs?
TG – ”Las Vegas will be very interesting. I’m intrigued by the track layout, and it’ll be fascinating to see what the conditions are. The temperature and climate of Vegas can vary so much, and you have years where it’s 5c outside, and others where it’s almost 20c in the winter! I read a quote from Lando saying that they were trying on different gloves ahead of the race, as they fear getting their hands cold – something that an F1 driver can’t have! I haven’t checked the weather reports, but I think there will be a lot of variables in there that could shake up the race.”
Q. Has Red Bull’s dominance this season been unhealthy for F1?
TG – ”I wouldn’t say Red Bull’s dominance is unhealthy, but we all want to see a final like we had in 2021, when it went down to the last lap. That’s the magic of F1, and it’s reflected in the viewing numbers. They were very high back then. It’s not so much the case this season – the viewing figures drop off when the championship is decided. It would be great to see that kind of fight again. I think the rules should go in the direction of it being tight, and hopefully, that’ll happen next year. The championship would be very interesting if we took out Max! That’s how it is at the moment, though, and teams need to raise their game for drivers to put Max under pressure. It would be great to see a proper battle again.”
Q. Is Max Verstappen one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time? Could he become the greatest?
TG – ”There’s no doubt that Max is one of the greatest drivers out there. The question will be how good the package is in the future. Max is capable of becoming one of the greatest ever in terms of numbers, and he’s young enough to eclipse every record out there. This has been one of the most impressive seasons ever! Look at how he’s dominated and how he’s made no mistakes. He’s very, very impressive.”
Q. Do you think Lando Norris will even get close to a Championship or is Max’s dominance here to stay?
TG – ”It depends on what McLaren can offer him and if they can give Lando a car to truly fight for a championship. I think he’s definitely one of the drivers capable of challenging Max. Lando was under pressure from Oscar on a few occasions, and you could see small mistakes made by Lando in qualifying. If we’re talking pure pace, though, Lando is very impressive. He manages to start at the back of the field and finish in the top five! He knows exactly what to do to not make these mistakes again, and he can definitely challenge Max if he has the right package around him.
Q. What about Charles Leclerc? He seems to be the most unlucky driver on the grid!
TG- ”You can see that Charles Leclerc struggles with luck! We’ve him in the front row, and not even being able to start a race! It’s hard to accept, and I’m sure he’ll ask himself those questions and if he’s ever able to fight with Ferrari. He’s been there for a few years, and something seems to happen every time! Either the package is not quite right or there are too many mistakes in the team. Next year will be very important for him next year in terms of his future.”
Q. Are Red Bull the greatest F1 team ever? If not, who?
TG – ”I think there are different eras in F1 and it’s hard to compare. Teams have dominated before, like McLaren under Senna, and then Williams were dominating. Red Bull have dominated twice now. If we consider how new Red Bull are to Formula One, we can make a strong case that they’re on top of their game and perhaps the greatest team. It depends if they can keep it together! This is the really difficult task. They need to keep their people happy with the cost-cap. We also hear that there are people leaving. We need to see if Red Bull can keep it up, but they’ve dominated over the last three years. They’re at the top of their game strategy-wise and pit-stop-wise, and if I take the last two decades, Red Bull are the most impressive team.”
Q. It’s so hard to compare eras in sport. Verstappen and Schumacher are driving the same cars, who wins?
TG – ”It’s hard to say who would win between Verstappen and Schumacher! I try not to compare drivers from different eras. Michael was at the top of the game in his day, just as Max is now. I’d say they’re equal in terms of talent and you can compare them well. Michael dominated the sport just as Max is now, and they both keep themselves motivated throughout the year. They’re so detail-oriented in every department! It would come down to how they perform on the day, but I’d say they’re equals!”
Q. What was your fondest memory of Michael Schumacher?
TG – ”My fondest memory of Michael Schumacher has to be his overall attention to detail. I spent a lot of time off-track with Michael, and it didn’t matter what we did. He was always so accurate and straightforward. He did everything at 100% whether he was on a mountain bike or jumping out of a plane! He was outstanding in every department.”
Q. What was he like behind the scenes, and away from the paddock?
TG – ”Michael kept himself to himself on the track, and he didn’t open up too much. It was, however, the opposite away from the track. He was very open, super friendly, and a really nice guy. People thought he wasn’t! I think that’s due to how straightforward he was on the racetrack. He was the complete opposite away from his work.”
Q. Have you spoken to his family much since the crash? Particularly his brother, Ralf?
TG- ”I keep in contact with Mick Schumacher as he and I get along well. I’ve also known other members of his family for a very long time, but I try not to impose on their privacy. I respect their right to be private, and I don’t discuss Michael’s condition with them.”
Q. Do you think Schumacher is the best driver of all time? If not, who?
TG – ”Micheal Schumacher is the greatest driver ever as far as I’m concerned. He was my hero. There are different icons of F1 from different eras – we had Ayrton Senna, and then Michael came along and changed the game. For me, he’s a hero and he was so influential as I was growing up.”
Q. What do you think Schumacher would have done had he not been involved in that tragic ski crash? Johnny Herbert thinks he’d have made an excellent pundit.
TG – ”I think Michael would have supported his son, Mick, in his career and he would’ve shown him around those F1 tracks! He was, and still is, a great supporter of his children, and he’s still a great ambassador of the sport.”
Q. Herbert also recalled how Schumacher liked to party, with his party trick ripping shirts off. Do you remember that?
TG – ”I never saw Michael rip his shirt off! We did, however, have some great parties.”
Q. Does anything specific come to mind?
TG – ”We had such good fun, but nothing specific comes to mind!”
Q. Looking at 2008, do you think a Drivers Championship will ever be that close as again, 1 point between the top 2 drivers?
TG – ”We saw flashes of the 2008 race in 2021, when it came down to Lewis and Max. In terms of drama, though, I don’t think anybody could have predicted 2008. I was there! The 2021 race was brilliant, but 2008 was something nobody could have written. Everything came together – Felipe Massa was the World Champion for 30 seconds, meanwhile I’m paddling around out there trying to survive! Lewis overtakes me in the last corner of the last lap. It was outstanding! I can’t see anything like this happening again.”
Q. With Massa taking legal action 15 years after the 2008 Drivers Championship, do you think Hamilton will eventually take some form of legal action against Verstappen and Michael Masi after the controversial safety car restart in 2021?
TG – ”We could risk opening the floodgates to every driver who thinks they’ve been treated unfairly. We need to see what happens between Felipe and the courts. If it works out, I don’t think it’s the greatest thing for the sport. You could argue that every football game could follow! It’s the same with tennis or any other sport. I don’t know if that would be the right call. It was also 15 years ago, and people could question why this is happening so late. I respect Felipe a lot and he knows what he’s doing. We need to see how it plays out.”
Q. Do you think Lewis Hamilton will ever win that elusive eighth title?
TG – ”It all depends on the car Lewis has. He still knows how to win races and championships, and him getting that eighth title depends on the package he has around him.”
Q. Are you happy he signed with Mercedes, or did you want to see him join someone else, like Ferrari?
TG – ”It would have been really interesting to see Lewis moving somewhere else, but it was logical for him to join Mercedes due to the history he has with them.”
Q. What other movement in F1 would you like to see?
TG – ”I would like to see Nico Hulkenberg in a team that would give him a fighting chance for points or even a podium. It would also be great to see what Alexander Albon could do in one of the top teams. He’s been impressive at Williams, and he would grab the chance in a top team. It would also be interesting to see one of those guys against Verstappen and watch they could do!’’
Q. What would you change about F1, if you could?
TG – ”I would start Max at the back of the grid if I was in charge! On a serious note, I could talk about sprint formats and sprint weekends and if they need fine-tuning. We need to ask ourselves what we really want to do differently. They’ve tried a lot, but the winner is always determined the same way it always has been. We also need to consider the fans and make the changes logical for them. Changes need to be sensible and we need to see how close the teams are and how good the show is. The product will always be better if more teams are competing – we saw that in 2021. Every race was a must-see!’’
Q. What do you think about the impact of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, did you like it?
TG – Drive to Survive showed the potential of F1 if you bring the public into the drivers’ lives. The series opened up the sport to young fans and it had a great impact on the sport. It was great to see. The program told great stories and it showed the drivers and bosses in a more private setting. The numbers spoke for themselves. It was a positive impact.”
Q. Would you have been happy with the show being made during your career?
TG – ”I would have been happy to let the Drive to Survive cameras in if it was made in my time. I was very open to showing more about my sport and working for Sky Germany has taught me how limited you are in terms of showing the fans about the drivers and teams. We’re just one TV station out of several, and I understand we can’t do everything. It’s always good to open the sport and show the fans the inner workings. Drivers always want to showcase how great the sport is. The success of the Netflix program taught us how interested people are if you give them a window inside.”
Q. In order, what were your three favourite tracks?
TG – ”My three favourite tracks would be Singapore, Spa-Francorchamps, and Suzuka. They were all incredible.”
Q. And the worst?
TG – ”I never raced on a track I hated, but there were boring ones. Barcelona was boring due to the amount of testing we did there. I’d say that was my least favorite. We spent enough time there!”
Q. Are McLaren reliable enough? We’ve seen that Ferrari are often unreliable.
TG – ”If you look at the last couple of races and how McLaren have started to perform from the middle of the year, I’d say they’re pretty consistent and they haven’t had any technical problems. They’re on top of their game in terms of strategy, too. It would be great to see McLaren fighting for a championship in the future.”
Q. We saw Lewis Hamilton moaning about the car in Brazil, what needs to change there?
TG – ”The understanding needs to change. Some updates seem to work on certain tracks, but the package didn’t work at all in Brazil. I think that’s the most important question Mercedes need to understand. They need to get the package right.”
