Another bet
In recent weeks, there have been several former Formula 1 drivers who have indicated who, at the end of this season, will be crowned world champion: from Martin Brundle to a multi-champion like Sebastian Vettel. The list of those who share the same opinion has recently expanded with the statements of Johnny Herbert, who did not limit himself to identifying the new ‘King’ of Formula 1.
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The three-way fight
In his interview given to Snabbare, the Briton has no doubts about the new champion as well as the drivers who will fight with him for the 2026 title: “Obviously I will bet on George Russell for the championship victory – he commented – then Max Verstappen, followed by Oscar Piastri. It would be fantastic to see Max and George challenge each other. 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 chose Oscar, because he will work harder than last year and will have something to prove. The top three drivers of this season will be George Russell, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri”.
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Outside of what the result of this season might be, Herbert then focused on the importance of the driver’s feeling with their single-seater: “As a driver, it doesn’t matter what the car looks like, the important thing is that it’s fast – he continued – it doesn’t matter if it’s beautiful, artfully made or if it looks like a small truck. The only thing that matters is how it will work. The cars are all quite similar, except for the Aston Martin, which looks a bit more out of the box. Beautiful doesn’t always mean fast! They have all pushed beyond the limit, as you would expect. Some had slightly different ideas, like Aston Martin. I think McLaren also pushed beyond those limits. Now it will be a matter of making them work, using all the data they have available and all the work done on the simulator, so that the driver can actually perceive the sensation. We know well how much it affects the human side, seeing what happened last year with Lewis Hamilton, who was totally unable to perceive what was happening in the car. And that’s where sometimes a driver must, firstly, adapt, but secondly, there must be that feeling, that connection with the steering wheel, the suspension, the tires and with the track. If you don’t have this, your confidence won’t be high and you won’t be able to push to the maximum. This must be a very important aspect. Some adapt better than others. I believe that 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 must have 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 perceive it, he can’t drive, it doesn’t matter. At that point, you have to adapt the car to try to make the driver feel comfortable in that cockpit. After all, he is the last piece of the puzzle”.
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