There is no doubt about the oodles of talent Max Verstappen possesses. Having made his debut at the tender of 17, it soon became evident why the Dutchman was talked up at such an early age. Max already has plenty of former F1 stars singing his praises, and the latest to join that list is ex-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

Massa believes the Red Bull ace is already good enough to win the title. He said, “He is certainly a future Formula 1 champion, I have no doubt about that.

“It’s a shame that he hasn’t had the car to win the title so far.” (translated via Google)

Since making the jump to Red Bull after only one full season at Toro Rosso, Verstappen has gone on to win 9 races along with 40 podium finishes. He is undoubtedly one of the few drivers on the grid capable of ending Lewis Hamilton’s domination.

However, Massa points out one area of improvement for the Dutchman.

“It would help if he could find two-tenths more,” said Massa.

“Hopefully he will succeed very soon, that would be desirable for all fans in this world. Because he has everything. He is an incredible talent.”

Felipe Massa believes Max Verstappen is ready to win a title already

During his first few seasons in F1, Verstappen developed quite a reputation for his aggressive driving as well as his immaturity and hot-headedness. These factors saw him lose a number of points.

However, Massa has defended Verstappen, who according to him has negated those aspects from his game.

Massa said, “We have to honestly say that although he was very quick at the beginning of his career, he did make a few mistakes. As a result, he missed a lot of chances.

“That’s normal when you are young. You don’t see these mistakes anymore. He’s ready to take the title.”

A title definitely seems likely in the future, but the chance to win won this season is already long gone. But that doesn’t mean Verstappen won’t be giving it his all in the remaining 4 rounds to come.

The ambitious youngster would want to end the season by not only splitting the two Mercedes drivers on the Drivers’ Championship table, but also on the track.