Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has revealed that Max Verstappen's fans have subjected him to the most abuse during his career, including death threats. The 62-year-old, who spent 12 seasons in F1 with teams such as Benetton, Tyrrell, Lotus, and Jaguar, made the comments when asked which fanbase was the most hostile towards him.
Death threats and accusations of bias
Herbert, who worked as an FIA Driver Steward and a pundit for Sky Sports F1 until stepping down in 2025 due to conflict-of-interest rules, said the abuse came after he questioned the Dutch driver. "That's easy! The Dutch fans who took issue with me questioning Max Verstappen," Herbert said. "Actually, they weren't just Dutch. They were from other countries as well. 'Death to Herbert.' They were the worst. They accuse me of being biased. They still do to Martin Brundle."
Herbert also addressed claims that he favours fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton. "They say, 'You're biased to Lewis Hamilton.' Well, we are British, and Lewis is a Brit! You're Dutch, and you support Max, and you're saying we're biased, but you want us to support Max," he said. "Of course we are going to support a British driver but it's objective. We are wowed by the Flying Dutchman too. If England were playing Holland in football, of course I'm going to support England."
Verstappen's impact on Dutch F1 fandom
Regarding the surge in Dutch F1 fandom, Verstappen has downplayed his role. He told Formule 1 Magazine: "Well, I don't want to say it's all because of me. I've done my part. Above all, I think it's great to see that motorsports is truly alive in the Netherlands. I don't personally need to take credit for that. Fortunately, there are also Dutch drivers who are generally doing well in various classes and making quite an impact at Assen and Zandvoort. It's alive and well and I think that's great."
Current season struggles
The four-time world champion has not enjoyed the best of years to date. His RB22 cannot match what has been produced by Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari on the back of unprecedented regulatory changes. The 28-year-old currently sits sixth in the drivers' standings on 109 points and has yet to taste a race win in this campaign.
