• Red Bull driver says he is already in a better position than his compatriot • ‘I want to be better, faster, stronger, dominate the circuit and that’s my target’
Max Verstappen insists he is not following in Michael Schumacher’s footsteps as a teenager racing Formula One.
Verstappen, 19, who became Formula One’s youngest race winner at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, has captured the imagination of Formula One fans since he burst on to the scene last year, winning five races in his rookie season.
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He has won the European Grand Prix and Hungary this year as well as securing his first grand prix win at the Chinese Grand Prix this year.
His progress has caused unease among some insiders, however, with speculation over the future of the former champions and title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg continuing.
Schumacher, now 44, is widely regarded as the greatest Formula One driver of all time, winning 91 grands prix between 1994 and 2006, with a second five-victory season also added to his tally between 2006 and 2009.
Verstappen, who turned professional after his teenage career at the Dutch professional club Red Bull, told Sky Sports News he was still a young driver.
“I don’t think I am any similar [to Schumacher] at the age,” he said. “It is two generations, 21 and 40, and then there are all these other people competing as well.
“I’m just still 17 now and I want to be better, faster, stronger, dominate the circuit and that’s my target.
“And then hopefully one day I can win more races and a few championships, and then to have a legacy that can live for another century. I think that’s a goal as well, to keep building my potential to be a better driver and also be even more effective.”