Former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger says that the title battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is exactly what the sport needs.

A lot of the last few years in the sport have been pretty processional with Hamilton and Mercedes largely going unchallenged on their way to racking up the world titles.

They certainly have a fight on their hands this year, though, with Verstappen and Red Bull doing all they can to try and knock them off of their perch.

Indeed, it's made for an enthralling season so far and Berger says that the fight is exactly what the sport needs, as well as saying accidents like the one in Monza, for him, was a racing incident and nothing more:

“Everything is said already and for me it was a racing incident,” he said as per motorsport.com.

“If you want to say who could have avoided it more, maybe that was Max, and that is why he got the three places grid penalty as well.

“But much more important is that this is exactly what Formula 1 needs. This is racing. Finally we have two big guys racing each other, and it’s even better that they are from two different teams.

“Can you imagine what would happen if you had a third driver in a Ferrari fighting up front as well? You would have full grandstands and people watching it again.

“This is what Formula 1 was looking for, for so many years. It is so important for the sport to have these kinds of things.”

The sport comes alive when two top drivers go head-to-head for the championship and hopefully, as Berger alludes to, more can join them in the fight next season as new rules come in for 2022.