Jos Verstappen says he "wouldn't mind" seeing his son Max in the same car as Lewis Hamilton, insisting a showdown between the two drivers is what the "whole world" is waiting for.
Verstappen is considered to be Hamilton's biggest challenger in Grand Prix racing and the driver most likely to take up the mantle once the Briton retires from the sport.
But Jos Verstappen believes his son could take the fight to Hamilton here and now, if he was supplied with the same equipment.
"It’s the same as what I say about Max: he [Lewis] is incredibly strong," Jos Verstappen told Dutch publication Formule 1.
"Even if you look at how he fares against his team-mate. At Mercedes it really worked out for Hamilton, at McLaren he had a few years in which it didn’t work.
"You don’t become a World Champion if you don’t have a champion team and champion car.
"Let me put it this way: I wouldn’t mind if Max would drive next to Hamilton. Then it is clear, isn’t it?
"The best thing would be if they were driving the same car. Then you can really compare who is the best.
"I would only applaud it, I think it would be a very nice season then. I think the whole world is waiting for that."
Verstappen Snr argues that Max's inability to consistently give Hamilton a run for his money in the past few seasons is due to his inferior car, the weakness of which has perhaps even been underestimated according to the former F1 driver.
"Max was [ready] three years ago. You know, Max always drives at 110 percent," added Jos Verstappen.
"As a result, we don’t really know how good or bad the car is; maybe our car was worse than Ferrari’s… It’s possible, no one knows.
"The only thing you can do is compare Max to his team-mate. And Alex Albon really wasn’t that bad in karting and the lower classes, he did well there. But he had quite a problem compared to Max."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
