Hamilton And Verstappen On Same Team 'Won't Work' Explains Herbert

Friday, 15 December 2023 at 11:00

Updated at Friday, 15 December 2023 at 13:44

Lewis Hamilton with Max Verstappen in Red Bull would not be a good combination for the team as former F1 driver Johny Herbert explained.

Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen are two of the best drivers in Formula ever, but they are also one of the biggest rivals in F1 ever.

A few weeks ago, there was a dispute between Hamilton Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, who suggested they were in contact concerning a seat in his team for the seven-time World Champion.

While the topic was abandoned over a few days, the speculations on possible chemistry between the two World Champions on the same team remained. Johny Herbert told PlanetF1:

"I think they’re both aware that, to win races but, more importantly, a world championship, and both are after that. One of them especially, to get that eighth World Championship and go ahead of Michael. They’re both wanting to do that."

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Herbert compared the Dutchman and Mercedes driver on the same team to iconic rival teammates from the past - Ayrton Senna and Alain prost.

“Now, the only way you’re able to do that is to be number one. There’s your problem because when it was Senna and Prost, it was a very, very hard thing for Ron Dennis (then McLaren team boss) to be able to control."

The 38-year-old British driver mentioned he would be happy to race against Verstappen in the same car but did not think the triple World Champion would want it. Then, there is also the problem of the team's support:

"Lewis would be very aware that Christian and everybody – Helmut Marko and the rest of the team, Jonathan Wheatley, etc, etc – their main support is Max, because they know Max will deliver."

Hamilton has already gone through one great rivalry with his previous teammate Nico Rosberg, which ended with the German driver quitting F1 after winning the title in 2016.

Herbert believes the dynamics between the two and their team couldn't work, and in the end, it would not come down to who is more faster but who is more devious.

"It would just turn into an uncontrollable ego mess. Who would come out on top? It would just be the one who’s the most devious, I suppose!"

Both Horner and Marko declined the possibility of having Hamilton and Verstappen in Red Bull simultaneously, as they wouldn't want two "alphas" and could not afford two of the most expensive drivers on the grid.