Jos Verstappen is ‘warmonger’ amid Red Bull’s F1 performance ‘falling off a cliff’, says Johnny Herbert

Johnny Herbert believes Jos Verstappen is the “warmonger” amid heightened tension at Red Bull and their loss of dominance on track.

Max Verstappen , who leads the world championship by 70 points to Lando Norris, has not won in six races since victory in Spain in June.

And last Sunday at the Dutch Grand Prix, McLaren’s Norris beat Verstappen by 22.8 seconds – the biggest winning margin of the season – as the Brit attempts to launch an improbable title fightback.

Off-track, tensions are clear between Verstappen’s father, Jos, and team boss Christian Horner this year, with the investigation into alleged “inappropriate behaviour” against Horner unearthing a divide within the team. Horner has twice been cleared .

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, former F1 driver and ex-Sky pundit Herbert spoke about Red Bull and Verstappen’s future at the team, saying: “The warmonger has been Jos. He has been very much at the forefront of criticism of the Red Bull set up and Christian especially.

“Can they [Red Bull] promise him enough for the coming years? I’m not so sure. I think there is a big question mark on what they are able to show Max in terms of the direction that will allow him to carry on trying to win those world championships.

“Because of that, and because of the way Jos is, and because of the way Max is, they are probably doubting the position that they’re in at the present time because it’s fallen off a cliff very quickly.”

Herbert adds that Red Bull currently have an “unhappy driver” in the form of Verstappen and believes talks should be taking place between the three-time world champion and Mercedes for 2026 and beyond. Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season.

“I think it would be foolish if those conversations didn’t happen between Max and Mercedes,” Herbert said. “As an ex-driver, I think I would be trying to look to the future.

“Toto would be foolish if he did not further the conversation and I think Max would be the right person for them for the future. Who would not want Max Verstappen?

“But panic is something I think they [Red Bull] should be thinking about, because I think they’re in a very, very different situation. And they’ve got, as I see it, an unhappy driver.”

Verstappen will be looking to bounce back this weekend at Monza , Ferrari’s home race and a venue where Red Bull secured a one-two finish last year.

Johnny Herbert was speaking in association with Poker Apps LTD