Herbert annoyed at Red Bull: 'What was the point of that?'

The battle for the world title this season is between Max Verstappen(Red Bull Racing) and Lewis Hamilton(Mercedes), although it sometimes seems to be fought out mainly off the track by team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolff.

Johnny Herbert doesn't like the political games between Red Bull and Mercedes this season. In an interview with Formula 1 Magazine, he says that he likes the hard battle on track between Verstappen and Hamilton but that he is annoyed about Wolff and Horner fighting.

"It's part of the game, but it shouldn't be about them, it should be about the drivers," says the former Formula One driver. "This championship is about Max and Lewis, they are the gladiators. From a driver's point of view, I think it would be better if the team owners were less prominent. It seems like a playground sometimes."

Herbert, himself active in Formula 1 between 1989 and 2000 for Benetton, Lotus and Sauber, among others, quotes the race at Silverstone as an example. At the time Red Bull made an attempt to hand Hamilton a heavier penalty for the collision with Verstappen on the opening lap. "What was the point of that? I understand very well what they wanted to achieve, but it still felt a bit like they are bad losers at Red Bull."