Johnny Herbert backs George Russell for 2026 F1 world championship. Johnny Herbert has backed George Russell to win the 2026 Formula 1 world championship.

Like other former drivers, the Brit believes his fellow countryman can win the 2026 Formula 1 world championship

Another prediction

In recent weeks, several former Formula 1 drivers have named the man they believe will be crowned world champion at the end of the 2026 season, from Martin Brundle to four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The list of those sharing the same opinion has now grown following comments from Johnny Herbert, who not only identified the next “King” of Formula 1 but also outlined the key contenders in what could be a thrilling title fight.

A three-way battle

In an interview with Snabbare, the British former driver made his stance clear regarding both the likely champion and the drivers who will fight him for the 2026 F1 title: “Obviously I’ll back George Russell for the championship win,” he said, “then Max Verstappen, followed by Oscar Piastri. It would be fantastic to see Max and George going head-to-head. It would be a close fight like the one between Oscar and Lando. Oscar will learn from last year’s experience. Motivation can be a very powerful thing, and that’s why I’ve chosen Oscar, because he will push harder than last year and he’ll have something to prove. The top three drivers this season will be George Russell, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.”

Herbert’s prediction adds further weight to the growing belief in the F1 paddock that Russell could be ready to take the final step in 2026, especially if Mercedes delivers a consistently competitive package under the current regulations.

Driver feeling is everything

Beyond the outcome of the championship itself, Herbert also reflected on the crucial importance of the driver’s connection with their car in modern Formula 1: “As a driver, it doesn’t matter what the car looks like, what matters is that it’s fast,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter if it’s beautiful, perfectly designed or if it looks like a truck. What matters is how it performs.

The cars are all fairly similar, except for the Aston Martin, which looks a bit more outside the box. Beautiful doesn’t always mean fast! They’ve all pushed beyond the limits, as you would expect. Some have had slightly different ideas, like Aston Martin. I think McLaren have also pushed those limits. Now it’s about making them work, using all the data they have available and all the work done in the simulator, so that the driver can actually feel what’s happening.

We saw last year with Lewis Hamilton how much the human side matters, when he was totally unable to feel what was happening in the car. And that’s where sometimes a driver, first of all, has to adapt, but secondly, there must be that feeling, that connection with the steering wheel, the suspension, the tyres and the track. If you don’t have that, your confidence won’t be high and you won’t be able to push to the maximum. That has to be a very important aspect.

Some adapt better than others. I think drivers who game adapt better, and the younger ones are used to it. Max Verstappen games a lot and has a ‘seventh sense’, but he still needs the ability to feel what the car is doing underneath him. It doesn’t matter how good it is; it could be the fastest in the world, but if the driver can’t feel it, can’t understand it, it doesn’t matter. At that point you have to adapt the car to try and make the driver feel comfortable in that cockpit. After all, he’s the final piece of the puzzle.”