Johnny Herbert: Verstappen can repeat Monza success on Baku streets

Former Formula 1 pilot Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen could repeat his Monza brilliance on the streets of Baku next weekend, as Red Bull"s low-downforce strength and the Dutchman"s unique ability to thrive with a nervous car make him the driver to watch in Azerbaijan, Report informs referring to Grandprix 247.

Looking ahead to next weekend"s Round 17, Herbert told Racing Tipsters media team: "Historically Red Bull have always done well in Baku and you would expect Max to do so again. It is a bit like Monza. But there"s a lot more 90-degree types of corners involved. So, it"s a sort of slow to medium track and then of course you"ve got the high speed straight itself."

The Grand Prix winner, ex-FIA Steward turned pundit, pointed out that Red Bull"s traditional approach suits the Baku City Circuit perfectly: "What Max and Red Bull have always been able to do in the past is run a light downforce car and then Max is the one able to hustle it around the circuit where the aerodynamics should be really coming into play.

"Baku is one of those circuits where they will be able to utilise that lighter car, but Max will be able to handle it and not feel threatened by the car moving around underneath him, because that"s his happy place. He"s happy when a car is a little bit on the edge."

Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2022; only his former teammate, Sergio Perez, has more than one victory in Baku, with a win in 2021 and 2023.

While Herbert tipped McLaren to have the fastest package in Baku, he warned that Verstappen"s edge and the nature of the track mean nothing is guaranteed. "You can"t rule him out, nor obviously the McLarens. That"s going to be the fight, realistically for the podium.

"George Russell, I think, still could sort of get in the mix. But I think it"s one of those races where it doesn"t always go to plan for many of the teams. It always seems to spice itself up naturally with safety cars. It"s a track that really tests man and machine and I think that it is one of those rare tracks that, bar the first year, every other race has been brilliant.

"There"s always been a bit of a surprise and a bit of a mix-up with who you probably expected to go there to win. McLaren should win but it"s not a foregone conclusion. Now that everyone has seen what Max was able to do at Monza, will other teams look to throw themselves into it and try to put McLaren under pressure?

"That"s the biggest thing that a team can do, just throw them under pressure all the way through the free practices going into qualifying. Hopefully that pressure is something you"ll be able to utilise and turn your favourite coming into Sunday," said Herbert.

Herbert reflected on the Italian Grand Prix, as an event, which produced the fastest race in Formula 1 history: "The hour and a quarter at Monza didn"t feel like it was pulling your teeth out. It was a good race actually. It was quick. Do people like the sprint race? Not everybody does. Maybe that"s where it"s possibly a little bit too short. I still don"t have a problem personally with the sprint races."

The Briton argued that shorter race formats might bring more intensity: "It makes it more raw. It makes it about the driver, and the gladiator has got to make a bigger difference and not the strategy. Monaco is maybe another one, where a shorter race could work better. I think it would intensify it and thereby produce even better races than we"ve got today."

Herbert concluded: "As a driver, would I be annoyed that I"ve got less race laps to be able to achieve a good result because I started a little bit further back? No, I think the challenge is higher. What"s wrong with a bigger challenge? Nothing."

Heading to Baku, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri still have Verstappen to contend with, albeit far in their mirrors for now as far as this Championship is concerned. But a mishap or two between the McLaren pair (eg. Canada collision) could put Max right back into contention for his fifth F1 World Champion title.