Johnny Herbert Suggests Alonso’s Praise for Verstappen Tied to Old… with Hamilton…Read more
Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has hinted that Fernando Alonso’s admiration for Max Verstappen may be influenced by unresolved resentment toward Lewis Hamilton.
Back in 2007, Alonso and Hamilton were teammates at McLaren. Alonso joined the team as a two-time world champion, fresh off back-to-back titles, while Hamilton entered Formula 1 as a highly touted rookie after winning the GP2 championship. However, what was expected to be a dominant pairing quickly turned sour. Tensions ran high throughout the season, leading to Alonso’s departure after just one year.
While Hamilton has faced several rivalries during his career—most notably a heated championship battle with Verstappen in 2021—Alonso has consistently spoken highly of the Red Bull driver. Following Verstappen’s pole position performance at Suzuka last weekend, Alonso praised him, calling Max “the reference for all of us.”
Alonso’s continued compliments toward Verstappen have raised eyebrows, and Herbert believes this dynamic may stem from a shared history of rivalry with Hamilton.
“I can see why Fernando Alonso is such a vocal supporter of Max Verstappen,” Herbert told PokerFirma. “The key difference is that Max and Fernando have never been teammates. But Lewis and Fernando have—and that didn’t end well.”
Herbert reflected on the 2007 season, where Alonso expected to have the upper hand over a rookie Hamilton. “Alonso came in as a two-time champion, full of confidence. He thought Lewis would be easy to beat, but it didn’t turn out that way. Hamilton came in strong and matched him, and that tension damaged their relationship.”
Herbert suggested that Alonso may still carry emotional baggage from that rivalry. “There’s likely still some bitterness left over from what happened at McLaren,” he added.
With 160 F1 race starts to his name, Herbert also empathized with Alonso’s perspective. “I understand it. As a driver, it’s frustrating when you believe you can do the job, but things don’t go your way. Alonso probably felt let down by Ron Dennis and the team’s support back then.”
Despite the historical tensions, Herbert acknowledged Verstappen’s current dominance. “Max deserves the credit. Even when he enters a weekend thinking he won’t be competitive, he still finds a way to deliver results.”
