What turned Red Bull and Verstappen into winners again?

On Sunday, Verstappen ended his eight-race win 'drought' with a commanding victory, beating both McLarens after reclaiming the lead early and controlling the race thereafter. Lando Norris recovered from a slow pit stop thanks to team orders, finishing second, while Oscar Piastri had to settle for third, losing ground in the title fight after their 'swap saga' on Sunday.

Grand Prix winner turned pundit, Herbert said of Verstappen's triumph at Monza: “The qualifying performance was not a surprise because that’s what Max does. Max is always switched on when that opportunity comes his way. I know he had commented not so long ago, before the break, that he probably wasn’t going to win a race again this year.

"That is the classic sort of thing Michael Schumacher said with his mind games. Now it’s Max Verstappen. There are times when you and the car seem to come together and you are able to get those race wins like he has done so far this year. Monza was that classic scenario," the 61-year-old Briton told Adventure Gamers.

According to Herbert, the RB21 was efficient enough to capitalise on McLaren’s relative struggles: “The car was good, or good enough. McLaren were slightly off the boil like they have been at Monza before because of the characteristics of the car.

"It’s probably better aerodynamically when it comes down to using it in medium to high-speed corners. You don’t really have those there. It’s all about blasting down the straights being as efficient and fast as you can. There was always an outside chance if someone got it right, then they were definitely in the fight and in a situation where they were going to be able to beat McLaren.

"Throw Max into the scenario, there is always going to be that chance," declared Herbert, after the Dutchman obliged all of Formula 1 with a masterclass to claim his 45th pole position start last Saturday, and then to claim his 66th Grand Prix victory a day later.

After the ousting of long-time boss Christian Horner, Monza was Mekies' first victory as Red Bull team principal. Herbert highlighted how the change of leadership has worked in Verstappen’s favour: “One thing that struck me was that Red Bull seem to have listened to Max more than they’ve been doing before.

"It’s all based on data and the free practice they had on Friday and then that’s how they came up with a set up for that Sunday and the strategy. But there seemed to be a little bit more emphasis on Max and I like that because I think that’s a very important part of what a driver’s job probably once was and it’s less so nowadays."

Herbert continued: “Once again, it proves that a driver’s input is still something that is very important. It worked and it worked very well. He had a little bit of a fight going into turn one and then after that, that was basically it. He controlled the race from that point on. His qualifying drive was a typical Max on his game. The way he did it was simply a ‘Wow’ factor. It was unexpected but that’s where that special Max is still a massive threat.”

On Mekies himself, Herbert observed: “He’s obviously had a little bit of a look because he comes from the experiences that he’s had where maybe the reliability of the driver has been probably a little bit more important.

"There probably is a little difference in him listening to what Max is saying, where Max is wanting to be more involved. I get that as a driver; a driver wants to be involved, wants to try and make the car work as he wants it to do, rather than it being literally passed over to the engineers either at the circuit or back at the factory.

“I think it is pretty much that way. I understand it with all the tools that the teams now have with the simulators but of course it’s always very different when you get onto a circuit and a track and the conditions that are there at that particular time and they don’t always correlate.

"It’s where the likes of Max, Lewis and Fernando of the current drivers have that ability to understand what’s going on underneath them and understand what they need to do.”

Herbert was also struck by Verstappen’s emotional reaction in Monza: “I was discussing just that with my wife after the race. It seems as if there is that family side that is coming out, a sense of the importance of family in his life.

"The relationship he’s had with Penelope (his stepdaughter) has been fantastic. Now he’s got his own little one as well. I think it’s another side that I think with Kelly and that relationship is something that shows he is maturing in a very positive way.

“That emotion was something; it wasn’t going to happen again. And it’s happened in Monza at a circuit that is very, very special to all of us that drive there, because of the history and the Tifosi and the whole bubble that turns out over that weekend.

“When you have a weekend like he had, I think it’s good to see that side of Max and that emotion that’s there. He’s a good egg. He’s got a brilliant sense of humour. He’s a really engaging character when he’s off the track.

"It’s nice to see that emotion coming through when he’s on the race track itself. We saw that emotion obviously when he won the first world championship, but to me this is slightly different; that maturity when the family side of it is bringing out all those really positive emotions," concluded Herbert.