Max Verstappen warned F1 rivals no longer 'scared' of overtaking tactics

Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen's F1 rivals no longer fear him and his aggressive style of wheel-to-wheel racing.

The former F1 driver and FIA steward suggested George Russell's move on the Dutchman into Turn 1 at the safety car restart during Spanish Grand Prix is evidence to that effect.

Despite the Mercedes driver initiating contact - which he likely would have received a penalty for had it damaged Verstappen's Red Bull or had the four-time drivers' champion not come out ahead - Herbert described it as a "damn good" overtake.

The 60-year-old argued it was befitting Verstappen himself, but said it was also proof his competitors are now "up for the challenge", which is seeing him "attacked more often" on track.

"I want all the drivers to be pushed to the absolute maximum," Herbert told RoobetAlternatives. "The move George Russell made on Max Verstappen was damn good.

"It was a move you'd expect from Verstappen. There's an element where Verstappen has scared the drivers off from attacking him because he could outfox them.

"Now, the drivers are up for the challenge and Verstappen is being attacked more often. I want to see the best driver come out on top, and I hope we see that more often in this season and in 2026 hopefully in more equal machinery.

"We'll continue to see the McLarens and Verstappen competing for race wins, but you can throw in the likes of George Russell and Charles Leclerc, they can take points off the likes of Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Verstappen."

A point of comparison

Russell's move was part of a series of events which ultimately culminated in Verstappen deliberately hitting the Briton's Mercedes at the apex of Turn 5 a few laps later. 

Herbert, whilst not directly linking the collision to similar incidents in the past, addressed what he feels is a prime example of the "dirty part of racing", with the inference being the two are comparable.

In doing so, he underlined his point that situations like the one seen at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya should be "stamped out" of F1.

 "We don't want the dirty part of racing," the three-time grand prix winner said. "I go back to 1994, between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, Hill was robbed.

"That wasn't fair. He should've won the championship in 1994, but he didn't because Schumacher made the move with a damaged suspension after he made a mistake and hit the wall and took himself out of the race, but more importantly, Damon, who should've won that race and the championship.

"Is that a pure way of winning the championship? No, it's not. You're not the better driver, you're trying to be above the rules and so that type of situation should be stamped out quickly."

Coincidentally, Herbert replaced Verstappen's father, Jos, as Schumacher's team-mate at Benetton with just two rounds remaining in the 1994 campaign, a seat he would retain for the 1995 season.