Herbert perplexed by Verstappen's comments about Hamilton

Johnny Herbert is baffled by Max Verstappen's statements in an interview with the Italian side of Sky. The Dutchman admitted that he enjoys the fight with Ferrari more than the fight with Mercedes in 2021.

"Disappointing actually in many aspects. He seems to just sort of dismiss Lewis straight away. They were straight onto Charles and Ferrari, and the battle they had", Herbert begins on Sky Sports. Verstappen revealed in the interview that he respects Ferrari for the way they are handling the title fight. Also, the Red Bull driver has been driving with Leclerc since they were young, so the two rivals know each other well.

The title fight against Ferrari is clearly a lot calmer compared to the fight against Mercedes in 2021. The two rivals have often been involved in heated battles both on and off the track, with team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner also frequently lashing out at each other. With Ferrari, there seems to be no question of a heated political game.

'Thought Verstappen was enjoying the battle'

Verstappen has already had a number of exciting battles on track with Leclerc this season, but the Dutchman also often battled Lewis Hamilton in 2021. Herbert does not understand where his comments are coming from.

"I thought he was enjoying the battle that they were having on track, but clearly there, he wasn’t enjoying it all. I don’t understand why his comments would be so negative towards Lewis and the battle that they had last year. I’m quite perplexed", says the Brit.