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Johnny Herbert on Max Verstappen being among the greats
Is Verstappen an all time great?

Verstappen doesn't need to move to other team to be among the all-time greats'

14 June 2023 at 17:23
Last update 14 June 2023 at 18:46
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  • GPblog.com

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are widely considered among the very best drivers to have ever driven in Formula 1. Both won at least one world championship with two different teams. Max Verstappen is a two-time title holder, heading for his third championship, but he took his top prizes only with Red Bull Racing.

For some, becoming champion with several teams gives that little bit extra to a driver's status. Johnny Herbert, himself a former F1 driver and currently working as an analyst for OLBG, thinks this is nonsense. "Verstappen doesn’t have to move and win with another team to be considered a great," Herbert said, drawing a comparison with a former teammate of his. "Michael Schumacher did with Benetton and Ferrari. But whatever car you are in, the elite like Verstappen or Hamilton will be able to perform in any car they are given."

Car determines a lot

Michael Schumacher moved from Benetton to Ferrari, where he ended up with a team under construction. Looking back, the German certainly did not have the best car in the field during his first years in Italian service, but nevertheless managed to become champion with it. When Hamilton moved from McLaren to Mercedes, the outside world questioned the move, as the German marque had not produced a top car in the years before. By Hamilton's first best year at Mercedes, there was.

According to Herbert, a driver is largely dependent on the material available to him. So it is not said that Verstappen can become champion at, say, Ferrari or Mercedes. "If he moved to another team, the car has still got to give him the chance of him winning a race and a title. We know Lewis Hamilton can be equal to Max Verstappen if they are in the same equipement. It is not a fair thing to say that Verstappen can only be considered one of the great unless he is in another car."