“Everyone is good in their own right” – Max Verstappen won hearts with his mature response to Kyle Larson’s best-driver-in-the-world challenge. The dirt racer has recently met with a lot of criticism because of his bold statement directed at the F1 World Champion. As Larson grabbed the winner’s spot at the recent Knoxville Nationals, he sounded off a claim that he is a better “all-around” driver than Verstappen. In both their respective sports, Kyle Larson and Max Verstappen have achieved enormous glory and thus, the Dutchman said, “Honestly I think I should first say we should not have that debate.”

At just 17, Max Verstappen had started making records by becoming the youngest racer ever to debut in Formula 1. However, he has never ventured outside of the pinnacle of motorsports. While he is an accomplished sim racer for Team Redline, the 26-year-old has not exhibited his skills in any other Championship. This, perhaps, made Kyle Larson say that he is a better driver as he can race on difference tracks.

Speaking on his ‘Missed Apex F1’ podcast, Matt Trumpets told his co-host Richard Ready about the difficulties of the NASCAR track where Kyle Larson has already won. He said, “Oval racing…there is a very specific skill to that. It’s like, every inch of the track is like a corner. And the way it evolves and the ways you race through the pack is outstanding. It’s an absolute beast to handle. However, the NASCAR steering wheel has just one button and that’s for screaming at people. It’s obviously a much more complex system, there’s a lot more to think about. Just operating the vehicle…that would make it harder.”

While Matt believes NASCAR is quite a hard sport, he places faith in Max Verstappen to excel at it. He mentioned, “I imagine Verstappen could sit in a NASCAR, have a few points like there’s the yelling-at-people button, and good luck!” Thus, Verstappen might not want to compare himself to a NASCAR Cup series champion, but is Matt Trumpets sure that Max can give Kyle Larson a run for his money?

Kyle Larson sparked controversy with a statement on beating Max Verstappen

At only 32, Kyle Larson has achieved great feats in NASCAR as the American is a 27-time cup race winner. On the other hand, Max Verstappen is a 3-time F1 World Champion in his own right. Thus, both the racing talents have been consistent with their results in their respective fields but Kyle apparently stepped over a line when he claimed he is better as an all-around driver than Max. As fans started bashing the Hendrick Motorsports racer, debates arose in all corners of the motorsports world regarding Kyle’s claim.

Kyle Larson had said, “I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver. 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.” Thus, the NASCAR racer clearly believes he is a more versatile version of Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen has not yet challenged Nyle Larson to a NASCAR race after listening to the American’s claims. However, F1 pundit Matt Trumpets is sure that Max can excel at racing in the oval circuit if it comes down to it. But do you think the same? Share in the comments below.