McLaren is the dominant factor in Formula 1 this season, but Johnny Herbert is by no means impressed. The performances of Max Verstappen, on the other hand, can appeal to the British former F1 driver. As far as he is concerned, the 27-year-old Red Bull Racing driver deserves that he was sung by the Italian fans.
This year McLaren is fast on his way to the second consecutive constructor title. With a 337 point lead on Ferrari, nobody doubts that the British racing stable has already received the championship. The battle for the rider title therefore goes between the two drivers of the team from Woking. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are stringing the victories in 2025, but Herbert is not at all warm from the performance of the duo.
‘I am not impressed by what McLaren is doing’, the former driver starts conversation with Adventure Gamers. “I am impressed by what they achieve and how they enable the drivers to win races and to be able to compete for the world title,” Herbert does add some nuance in his comment about the British racing stable. The former F1 steward does not seem to be really excited for the team drivers.
Herbert, on the other hand, is very pleased about Verstappen. ‘What I am impressed are the rounds and races, which Max, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher could ride and the history that goes with it. That is what makes me enthusiastic and I think I am right when I say that this also applies to the large majority of fans, “adds 61-year-old Brit.
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Herbert has not always been positive about Verstappen in recent years, but nevertheless the former driver of Benetton, among others, has awe for the performance of the four-time world champion. And the same also applies to fans, Herbert thinks. ‘I think there is a lot of respect for what Max does in the cockpit. Everyone can be enthusiastic about that. It also makes me enthusiastic when I see the laps he drives. ”
The former F1 driver does not think it is strange that Verstappen was massively sung on stage in Monza last weekend by the Italian fans. “I think that is completely understandable,” says Herbert, who does not exclude another factor. The future of Verstappen was a frequent subject of discussion this year.
The Limburger will continue to race in the colors of Red Bull in 2026, but in 2027 there may be opportunities for the competition again, so perhaps also for Ferrari. ‘Would the Fans want to see Verstappen in a Ferrari? I am sure that she, and many of us, believe that he would probably make a difference, “Herbert believes, who finally briefly responds to the booider to Lando Norris. “I am sure that the papaya rules at McLaren played a role in this,” says Herbert, who finds that McLaren did not make himself popular in Monza by issuing team orders to Oscar Piastri.
