Ex-Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert believes reigning World Champion Max Verstappen is “already” one of the greatest F1 drivers of all-time, with the Dutchman being hailed as “pretty special”.
Verstappen has certainly achieved an incredible amount at just the age of 25, with the Red Bull driver having already won two Drivers’ Championships and 37 races.
He is without a doubt the best performing driver on the grid currently, with many believing that we are very much in a Verstappen era.
“It’s hard but for me already he is one of the best we’ve seen,” Herbert said to Give Me Sport.
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“Because I think, for me it’s always about consistency, and he does not make mistakes.
“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.”
Interestingly, Herbert has compared Verstappen’s current ‘wow’ factor to seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Herbert explained that he gets “wowed” when watching the Red Bull driver at work, with it being a similar feeling to what he experienced when watching Hamilton cruise to glory a few years ago.
“I always enjoy watching him today, and I always get wowed at what he does today,” he said.
“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.”
Verstappen has, of course, been criticised over the years for being an aggressive driver, something which Herbert admits he isn’t the biggest fan of.
Despite this, the ex-F1 driver believes what the Dutchman can do behind the wheel is “pretty unbelievable”.
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“Whatever you think of Max with his elbows out type of racing, that’s part and parcel of racing to be perfectly honest,” said Herbert.
“It’s not my style but that really doesn’t matter. Because what he actually does with a racing car sometimes is pretty unbelievable.
“I enjoy what he’s doing at the present time but where he is in the pecking order is a hard one because the times are so much different than what they were.”