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Red Bull Racing superstar Max Verstappen is the three-time defending Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion.
But according to NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson, Verstappen is not the best driver on the planet. That title, Larson believes, belongs to him.
Larson laid down the gauntlet recently in an interview with FloRacing following a victory in the Knoxville Nationals sprint car race.
“Not really. I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” Larson said when asked if he needs to go head-to-head with Verstappen in order to prove his supremacy.
But he didn’t just stop there.
“There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol,” Larson continued. “There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element.
“That’s what gives me ease and confidence that, like, I know I’m better than him. Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula 1 car, but that’s one discipline. I think I would beat him in everything else. You can quote that.”
Larson is, unquestionably, an incredible wheelman.
He is, unquestionably, the best dirt track racer on the planet. Nobody would argue that.
But the argument falls apart when you dig a little deep.
Yes, Larson is a NASCAR Cup Series champion, having claimed that title in 2021. But there’s a serious argument that he’s not even the best driver in the Cup Series today.
In 11 full seasons in the Cup Series, Larson has just one championship. Yes, many of those years were spent in inferior competition, but Larson also squandered multiple opportunities for race victories.
He now races for the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports team. And while Larson has experienced immense success with Hendrick, he hasn’t markedly outperformed his Hendrick teammates, particularly William Byron, outside of the 2021 title run.
Verstappen, meanwhile, has not raced outside of Formula 1. But he is, undeniably, the best driver in the series. Even accounting for Red Bull’s dominance, Verstappen has had a stranglehold on the series for the better part of three years.
Ultimately, it’s a fruitless discussion. Comparing the two disciplines is nearly impossible. And unless someone (hello, Saudi Arabia) is willing to fund a multi-vehicle series of races between the two on different types of circuits, we’ll never really know who reigns supreme.
But you certainly can’t knock Larson’s confidence.