Johnny Herbert reveals rival F1 drivers are starting to “rebel against the intimidator Verstappen”. Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen’s psychological game will lead opponents to push back .

Max Verstappen vs George Russell
In 2024, Max Verstappen once again climbed to the top of the world, securing his fourth consecutive championship. However, compared to the 2022-2023 seasons, the Red Bull driver faced more challenges than expected in reaffirming himself in Formula 1, not to mention penalties and tensions arising within the team or with other drivers.

The Qatar qualifying incident
One of the most notable cases involved George Russell during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend. Max Verstappen, already mathematically crowned champion, was demoted one grid position for impeding the British driver during qualifying. Russell, who complained about the maneuver to the media, sparked a heated exchange with Verstappen that lasted the entire weekend.

The rivals’ rebellion
This distant confrontation was, in a way, welcomed by former driver Johnny Herbert, now an F1 steward: “What was amusing last year was Verstappen playing and intimidating everyone on track with the comments he made about every single driver,” he explained to Casinoutanspelpaus.io. “But everyone started to push back, to react, to oppose him, and George Russell was one of those who stood up to him. I think it’s essential in this sport for someone to stand up to another driver because of the comments they might make about what happened on track—that’s what they should do. They should have respect for each other, and sometimes they show that respect when you stand up and say, ‘No, that’s not right,’ as Russell did with the press.”

Raising questions
According to Johnny Herbert, Max Verstappen has been putting pressure on his rivals to intimidate them, but Russell’s response in Lusail may have planted doubts in the Dutchman’s mind: “I think it’s a good force, a very, very good force to have because as much as Verstappen always wants to intimidate everyone, suddenly there will be a question mark,” he continued. “Can another driver intimidate him in this particular corner? On this particular lap? At this particular moment in the championship? It’s almost as if some question marks have started to creep into his mind at this point. But Max Verstappen is so confident and has control over everything happening around him. I think Lando Norris is learning to ask himself this question and probably observes what everyone else does when faced with Verstappen.” – the former Formula 1 driver concluded.