"He does not make mistakes" - Max Verstappen already 'one of the best' according to Johnny Herbert

Former F1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert believes that reigning double world champion Max Verstappen is already 'one of the best' F1 drivers in history.

The Dutch driver has impressed the watching fans from day one and has only grown from strength to strength during his time in the sport. Max Verstappen has thus far amassed two titles and 37 race wins and has already garnered a few records to his name.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Herbert said:

"There was always the talk before he won his first world championship that this guy is the next big thing. So it was almost like there was always an understanding anyway that this guy's pretty hot and pretty special. Now that he's achieved two titles, I think he's already there as one of the best we've seen.

"I always enjoy watching him today, and I always get wowed at what he does today. I think with Max to me there is a wow factor. Whatever you think of Max with his elbows out the type of racing, that's part and parcel of racing to be perfectly honest. It's not my style but that really doesn't matter.

"Because what he actually does with a racing car sometimes is pretty unbelievable. It's hard but for me already, he is one of the best we've seen because I think, for me, it's always about consistency, and he does not make mistakes."

"You had the upstart Max Verstappen challenging him and wanting to get in there" - F1 pundit on Dutchman's rivalry with Lewis Hamilton

Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz pointed out that the dynamics of the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have completely changed.

While appearing on the Sky Sports podcast, Kravitz said:

"What's fascinating to me is, we now have a complete flip of the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton seasons from 2014 to 2021, when Hamilton has been going for the championship, knowing he has the fastest car and needs to play it safe.

"You had the upstart Verstappen challenging him and wanting to get in there. And now you've got Hamilton challenging Verstappen, saying, 'It's no cares given', 'I'm out there to take all the risks', putting it back on the defending champion. Hamilton knows he's not going to win the championship this year, not unless something really weird happens, so he can go in there and be aggressive with Verstappen, knowing that he is probably going to have to give way."

It will be fascinating to see if Lewis Hamilton continues this approach against Max Verstappen in further battles this season.