An insider claims that drivers are no longer afraid of taking on Max Verstappen in wheel-to-wheel combat, leading to the latest incident where the world champion received a penalty and negative publicity. This shift in attitude means Verstappen is now being challenged more than ever on the track, says F1 Insider and former F1 driver Johnny Herbert.
“There’s an element where Verstappen has scared the drivers off from attacking him because he could outfox them,” Johnny Herbert told RoobetAlternatives. “Now, the drivers are up for the challenge and Verstappen is being attacked more often.”
Johnny Herbert pointed to George Russell’s aggressive move on Verstappen during the Spanish Grand Prix at the safety car restart into Turn 1 as prime evidence. Despite the contact initiated by Russell – a move that Herbert described as “damn good,” shows a change in the competitive landscape.
“There’s an element where Verstappen has scared the drivers off from attacking him because he could outfox them,” he said. “Now, the drivers are up for the challenge and Verstappen is being attacked more often.”
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What Verstappen Did In Spain
During the Spanish Grand Prix, a safety car restart occurred after the Mercedes driver made an aggressive move on Max Verstappen into Turn 1, which involved initiating contact. A few laps later, Russell’s initial move was followed by a series of events that resulted in Verstappen deliberately hitting Russell’s Mercedes at the apex of Turn 5. Verstappen received a 10-second penalty, which dropped his final finish from P5 to P10, and he incurred three points against his super license. He would automatically be suspended one race if he gets just one more penalty point.
Does Herbert believe Verstappen is a dirty racer? Not exactly, but he said there is no room for tactics like Max Verstappen used in Spain.
“We don’t want the dirty part of racing,” Herbert reiterated. “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.”
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Max Verstappen Lashing Out in Frustration?
What’s the core reason Verstappen, who did issue a tepid apology a day after the race, acted the way he did? Sky News commentator Naomi Schiff blamed frustration. She believes Verstappen continues to be frustrated by his team’s decision to restart on hard tires and his car.
“Not only did the driver have to take the restart on hard tires, he had contact with Leclerc that he felt was the Ferrari driver’s fault and then had his battle with Russell,” Schiff said. “This is all about temperament because at one point, Max gets the news that he’s on the hard. He’s already frustrated about the fact that he’s on that hard tire. It then goes wrong for him. He’s told that the incident with the Leclerc is going to be ignored, so he’s frustrated about that.”
Frustrated or not, Verstappen is still looking for his 2025 mojo. He sits third overall in the 2025 F1 Driver standings with 137 points, trailing both McLaren drivers and leader Oscar Piastri by 49 points. The 9-point loss from his actions at the Spanish Grand Prix didn’t help his chances of winning another championship.
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