“He's already there as one of the best we've seen” - Max Verstappen’s ‘unbelievable’ abilities with a race car praised by former F1 driver

Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers we've seen in the history of the sport.

Verstappen won his maiden F1 title in 2021, pipping Lewis Hamilton by eight points. The following year, he defended his title in emphatic fashion, winning a record 15 races and securing his second world title with a 146-point lead over Charles Leclerc in second place.

The Dutchman seems to be on course for a hat-trick of F1 titles this year, having won the races in Bahrain and Australia while coming second in Saudi Arabia.

Englishman Herbert, who drove for Benetton, Tyrrell, Lotus, Ligier, Sauber, Stewart and Jaguar from 1989 to 2000, has stated that Verstappen should be considered one of the best drivers in the history of the sport. He told GIVEMESPORT:

"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 he's achieved two titles I think he's already there as one of the best we've seen.

He added:

"I always enjoy watching him today, and I always get wowed at what he does today. Just as I got wowed by what Lewis [Hamilton] did only a couple of years ago, it hasn't finished for him yet, but there was a wow factor to him."

While the 58-year-old acknowledged that Verstappen's style of racing might not be everyone's cup of tea, he believes it should not influence one's judgment of the 25-year-old. He said:

"I think with Max to me there is a wow factor. Whatever you think of Max with his elbows out 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."

He added:

"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."

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Max Verstappen ‘won’t be around for too long’ if F1 keeps changing the sport

Max Verstappen has claimed that the constant changes to the race weekend format could lead to him leaving Formula 1.

In 2021, the FIA tweaked the format by introducing sprint races. This year, they have doubled the number of sprint races to six. Now, amendments to the format of sprint race weekends are in the pipeline.

Saturday's free practice two session is set to be replaced by a new qualifying session for the sprint race. The existing qualifying session, which takes place on Friday afternoon, remains in place for the Grand Prix.

Verstappen has previously expressed his dislike for the proposed changes, saying:

“I’m happy with just the main race. I think that’s way better for the excitement. I naturally, of course, hope that there won’t be too many changes otherwise I won’t be around for too long.”

The Red Bull Racing driver has never been a fan of sprint races in general. At the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last year, he expressed his dislike for the format, saying:

“I’m not a fan of the sprint. It is what it is. Some like it, some don’t.”