Max Verstappen believes there's a driver in this year's Formula 1 roster who could have potentially eclipsed the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in terms of titles.

The 26-year-old Red Bull ace, a triple world champion, recently placed Fernando Alonso in his personal top five F1 drivers of all time.

In a new recent discussion with Spain's El Mundo Deportivo, Verstappen elaborated that Alonso's modest tally of two championships at age 42 shouldn't prevent him from being considered one of the sport's legends.

"Fernando could have had eight world championships if he had been a bit luckier in his career by making the right decisions at the right time," Verstappen remarked.

"So, no - titles don't matter. People always look at who won the most titles or whatever, and they automatically put them at the top of the list. But it's not just about the titles, and that's the same in all sports. Is the one who won six Champions Leagues or one or two World Cups the best player? Not necessarily. It's a team effort that needs to come together, and that's why I feel that Fernando is definitely one of the best drivers in history. Because wherever he went, he was always very, very fast."

"But you need the material to be able to win the races, and he, unfortunately, didn't always have it. Fernando is a fighter, he's also very versatile, because he can drive many different cars - F1, Indy, Dakar, endurance, and he's always been fast in all disciplines. That's something that few drivers can do," Verstappen added.