Max Verstappen warned of title showdown with new rival in 2026

A former F1 star has suggested that a nascent rivalry within the sport could bubble up into a title battle in 2026.

Max Verstappen's greatest rival in the sport up to this point has been Lewis Hamilton, with their 2021 showdown one of the most controversial and close-fought in F1 history.

The Dutchman stopped Hamilton from claiming a record-breaking eighth world championship in controversial circumstances, and has since gone on to add three more to his collection, while Hamilton has been out of championship contention with Mercedes and now Ferrari.

Hamilton's inability to challenge for another title since then has led to a mellowing of his and Verstappen's rivalry, with the pair seemingly holding a mutual respect for one another's achievements, and Verstappen has focused on other targets instead.

And that includes Hamilton's fellow Brit George Russell, who accused Verstappen of 'bullying' at last season's Qatar GP, and was involved in a controversial incident with the Dutchman at this year's Spanish GP, when Verstappen appeared to purposely crash into the Mercedes driver.

Now, ex-F1 racer Johnny Herbert has said that the pair's rivalry is thrilling, and that they may well be challenging each other for championships in years to come.

"Potentially, it’s all set up for a Max v George head-to-head next year," Herbert told Betting Lounge. "Mercedes are going to be at the sharp end with their new power unit. They are probably going to be the team to beat, the car to have underneath you.

"That’s where he's positioned himself in a very, very good place. It's not as if he's just fallen into Mercedes and the stars have just aligned.

"He's earned it. He's worked hard to be able to get himself into this position. George has shown that he's exceptional. And that means he'll be able to drag more out of the car and he'll be the leader of that team. And I hope he does because I like what I see, this really controlled, raw ability to shine."

READ MORE: Toto Wolff admits he 'wanted to quit' F1 during Hamilton years

Russell's 2025 season

Russell and Verstappen have been two of the outstanding drivers on the grid in 2025, currently sat third and fourth in the drivers' championship respectively.

Verstappen has four wins in 2025, and Russell two wins and six further podiums, in a season in which both of their teams have been blown away by McLaren.

It could well be an interesting battle in 2025 to see which of the two drivers can seal third spot in the championship, with Russell currently 36 points behind the four-time world champion.

Despite these brilliant performances from Russell, the Brit is currently set to be out of contract at the end of this year, with Mercedes not having confirmed his new deal for 2026 just yet.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has explained that it's just a matter of time, however, with both Russell and Kimi Antonelli confirmed by the Austrian to be in the Mercedes cars next year.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen reveals reason he'd make Ferrari F1 switch

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