Ex-Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has dismissed the claim that Max Verstappen needs to win a World Championship outside of Red Bull to be recognised as an all-time great.
Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher currently share the record for most F1 Drivers’ titles on seven apiece, with both having done so with two separate teams.
Meanwhile, Verstappen, who has won five of the opening seven races this year, is on course to win his third consecutive championship and all his success has come since moving to Red Bull in 2016.
The Dutchman has been tied to Red Bull since entering F1 as a 17-year-old with its sister team, then known as Toro Rosso, and has repeatedly suggested he could retire from F1 at the end of his current contract which runs until the end of 2028.
But Herbert disputes any notion that the reigning champion needs to win at another team like Hamilton or Schumacher to be hailed as one of the sport’s best-ever drivers.
“Verstappen doesn’t have to move to another team and win there, to be considered one of the greatest,” Herbert told OLBG.
“Michael Schumacher did it with Benetton and Ferrari. But whatever car you’re in, the elite like Verstappen or Hamilton perform in every car out there.”
Red Bull’s dominance since the switch in regulations last year has seen Verstappen win 20 of the 29 races to have taken place, leaving him now only one shy of equalling Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41.
Herbert believes it would be unfair to demand Verstappen to triumph elsewhere as success in F1 is heavily dependent on the machinery at a driver’s disposal.
“If he goes to another team, he should have the chance to win a race and a title in that car,” he added. “We know that Lewis Hamilton can be equivalent to Max Verstappen if they are in the same car.
“It’s not fair to say that Verstappen can only be seen as one of the greats if he hasn’t been in another car before.”
Verstappen arrives at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix with a healthy 53-point advantage at the top of the standings over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
The Dutch driver held off the advances of Carlos Sainz to secure his first win in Montreal last year. However, Perez endured a torrid time, retiring with a gearbox problem.
Red Bull, meanwhile, possess a commanding 135-point lead over second-place Mercedes and can win their 100th F1 race with victory on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the Austrian outfit’s team boss Christian Horner has denied assertions that his side has already retained the two titles it won last year.
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