Johnny Herbert believes Fernando Alonso’s public support of Max Verstappen in Suzuka came about, in part, as they “haven’t been team-mates.”

In comparison to Lewis Hamilton, however, Herbert added the belief that Alonso has “probably still got a lingering bitterness” from his 2007 season at McLaren, with both he and Hamilton finishing one point shy of eventual title-winner, Kimi Raikkonen.

Herbert: ‘I understand why Fernando Alonso is very supportive of Max Verstappen’

Alonso was complimentary of Verstappen’s pole lap in particular at Suzuka at the weekend, putting his Red Bull ahead of seemingly faster McLarens before winning the race on Sunday.

He said of the reigning World Champion when speaking to Viaplay: “Only he can do it. I think there is no other driver at the moment that can drive a car and put it so high. Higher than the car deserves.

“I think it was a magical moment for everyone here.”

Following on from that compliment, Herbert explained his belief that Alonso’s public support of the Red Bull driver will have been in part because he has not driven in equal machinery to him, unlike his season with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.

While Alonso went back for a second spell at the team in the mid-2010s, three-time Grand Prix winner, Herbert, questioned whether or not there was still “lingering bitterness” from that first season, when he “didn’t have it all his own way” at the Woking-based squad.

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“I understand why Fernando Alonso is very supportive of Max Verstappen,” Herbert told PokerFirma.

“Max and Fernando haven’t been team-mates, Lewis and Fernando have been team-mates. It was a two-time World Champion in Alonso who was full of confidence at the top of his game at McLaren in 2007.

“He expected Hamilton as the young whippersnapper, to be easily beatable, and it didn’t happen that way.

“So then that fight happened that season harmed the relationship at the end of the day from that point on, purely because Lewis came in with a mighty bang and Alonso didn’t have it all his own way – and he’s probably still got a lingering bitterness because of what happened at McLaren.

“I get that as a driver. You do get frustrated when you fully believe that you can do the job, and he probably felt he wasn’t supported as much as he felt he should have been by Ron Dennis.

“So anyway, respect to Max. He’s the guy that’s delivering even when he went into a weekend saying, ‘I’ve got no chance.’”

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