NASCAR star’s verdict on Max Verstappen and F1 – Sports News
Teenage NASCAR sensation Connor Zilisch will step up to the Cup Series in 2026 with Trackhouse Racing, and expectations have been set high after recording 10 Xfinity victories this season. The 19-year-old’s brilliance on the racing monitor has seen him be in comparison with some of motorsport’s best drivers throughout many disciplines, together with four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, who broke onto the scene as a 17-year-old.
Despite their comparisons, Zilisch, who suffered a horrific damaged collarbone during a celebratory fall following a win at Watkins Glen, says the pair’s journeys aren’t comparable. Zilisch says his journey in NASCAR is more difficult to perform.
He believes NASCAR requires more driver expertise than competent and aggressive machinery. “Obviously, (four-time F1 champ) Max Verstappen is a once-in-a-generation talent, and yeah, it’s hard to say I’m going to be like him and have as successful a jump to the highest level as he did,” Zilisch informed CBS Sports. “I know the jump to the Cup Series is nothing easy, and it’s going to be tough no matter what and no matter who you are.”
“I feel that just the way he was brought up, it might be a little bit easier for him, and especially in F1, with how car-dependent it is. I feel it’s easier to rise to the occasion,” Zilisch continued. In NASCAR, their vehicles are nearly similar, putting a vital burden on the driving force to make an influence on the monitor, whereas in F1, upgrades can vastly impact, positively or negatively, efficiency.
Verstappen could also be barely totally different, although. Last season, the Dutchman gained the F1 crown, a consecutive fourth, regardless of rivals McLaren having the higher car and successful the constructors’ championship. Verstappen has managed to keep up and compete for wins this season, albeit behind Lando Norris and 2025 chief Oscar Piastri within the drivers’ championship.
“So I think it is going to be a bit of a harder jump than maybe a guy like Max Verstappen going to F1,” Zilish stated. “But, you know, it’s definitely possible. And I get confidence from a guy like him who was able to do it at my age.”
Comparisons between NASCAR and F1 have been a common theme. Last yr, Verstappen and Kyle Larson had been mentioned. Larson said that he is a more full driver than the F1 champion.
“I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” Larson stated of Verstappen, in accordance with FloSports.
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“There’s no way he 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.
“… That’s what provides me ease and confidence that, like, I do know I’m higher than him. Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula One car, however that is one self-discipline. I believe I might beat him in every thing else. You can quote that.”
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