Johnny Herbert believes he wants the same thing as Hamilton and is not buying into Max Verstappen’s spiel.
Max Verstappen’s argument that he has no desire to surpass Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton’s world title record is not one that Johnny Herbert is buying. Herbert begs to differ, but the Dutchman insists he is “already happy” with his career.
By winning the world championship for the third time in a row in 2023, Verstappen tied for fourth place all-time with Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, and Ayrton Senna. It’s expected that this won’t be his final season after an incredible one in which he broke the coveted 500-point barrier as the first driver.
Verstappen, who has hinted at retiring from racing at a young age, says he isn’t too concerned about making history. At just 26 years old, there is still plenty of time for the Red Bull star to surpass Hamilton and Schumacher’s seven world titles.
In response to the question of whether breaking records inspires him, Verstappen said, “No.” I don’t want to take home seven or eight championships. It’s great if you have the car to accomplish this. However, even if it doesn’t [occur], it’s still okay because I’m happy right now.
Herbert, though, is still certain that’s not the case. To win that eighth World Championship and surpass Michael in particular. When asked who would win if they were on the same team, he told Planet F1 that “they’re both wanting to do that.”
Being the best is now your only chance to accomplish that. That’s your issue because Ron Dennis, the McLaren team manager at the time, found it extremely difficult to control when it involved Senna and Prost.
“I believe they both understand that winning races is important, but winning a world championship is what matters most, and they both want that. No matter what you do, you can’t control it. You would still have problems once they put on the helmet and start racing, even if you put them in separate rooms for the duration of the weekend.
“Those incidents that we witnessed with both of them—once at McLaren and again at McLaren and Ferrari after Alain moved on—will inevitably arise. The same, in my opinion, applies to Lewis and Max: you simply cannot manage having those two top drivers on the same team.
