Lando Norris and Max Verstappen shared an intense title fight in 2024 (Image: Getty)
steward Johnny Herbert believes that changes to the racing regulations for the 2025 season could benefit reigning world champion if the Dutchman finds himself in another title battle with .
The 2024 title fight produced several memorable flashpoints and pushed drivers to the edge. Verstappen received backlash for his aggressive driving, racing within the outer limits of the rules in Austria, Texas, and Mexico City and picking up a number of time penalties and penalty points on the way.
This prompted the FIA to look into the rules following a comprehensive driver meeting in Qatar. The outcome was explained by , head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.
“A lot of drivers are aligned that if you are the overtaking car on the inside, rule number one is you have to be able to stay on the circuit,” he said.
“If you’re able to stay on the circuit, you are in your right to run the driver wide, as it has been for all of us since go-karting. If you’re overtaking somebody on the inside, you’ve got the right to run them wide.”
According to Herbert, while this would have prevented some of Verstappen’s lunges, it will not hinder the Dutchman in 2025. “Norris really did improve once again, and he’s done this over the last two or three seasons,” the FIA steward told .
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Johnny Herbert believes Verstappen will continue to be a force in F1 (Image: Getty)
“First time I saw an improvement was when he was with , when Ricciardo came in, he was the man who was going to take control of and lead the team to winning ways, and that was when Lando went ‘I can’t be friends, I’m not going to be friends and I’m going to do my bit’.
“And he dominated that partnership. Now, it’s that mental battle with Verstappen he needs to focus on what Verstappen does to everybody else on track because you’ve got to give some of that back.
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“Maybe not in the same way, but you’ve still got to have a very, very tough mind to be able to bombard him with a lot of on track. A little bit of elbows out, a little bit of pushing. Rules have changed next year with the apex, but everyone was racing for the apex last year, that’s gone.
“Giving room for a driver on the exit of the corner, that’s gone as well. The raw racing is coming back but that’s also a good thing for Verstappen because he’s that little extra cunning.”