6 days Ago By Thomas Maher
Jacques Villeneuve has responded to Jos Verstappen suggesting FIA stewards should not be permitted to speak to the media. Following Jos Verstappen calling for FIA stewards not to talk to the press, Jacques Villeneuve has poured cold water on the suggestion. Following on from the Mexico City Grand Prix, in which Johnny Herbert was involved on the FIA stewarding panel which handed the Dutch driver two separate 10-second time penalties for two incidents with title rival Lando Norris, the FIA steward spoke to the media via an interview with a gambling website in which he outlined his personal feelings regarding Verstappen’s mentality and approach to racing.
It sparked a huge wave of controversy, given that Herbert’s duties over a race weekend are representative of the governing body’s requirement for fair and balanced adjudication – Herbert’s forthright expressing of personal feelings on the reigning World Champion’s driving appearing at odds with this need for neutrality. With Herbert speaking in the interview in a punditry position rather than as an FIA steward, its shed a spotlight on the blurred lines between such positions – not that Verstappen was concerning himself with that, as he later suggested Herbert – amongst other British pundits – were showing signs of bias. 👉 FIA explained: What does it stand for and how does it govern F1? 👉 F1’s penalty system explained: How does a driver pick up a penalty from the FIA? It led his father Jos to get involved, with Verstappen senior acknowledging his son had gone “too far” in his battle with Norris during their battle at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but said FIA stewards should not be permitted to express personal views via the press.
“I thought Max went too far the second time in Mexico as well,” Verstappen told Viaplay. “I think he feels the same now. I can also just say that honestly to him.
I think you have to be open and honest. “I think a steward should not talk to the press at all and do a constant job. And that is definitely not the case now.
” His comments came shortly after he aired concerns of a “conflict of interest” over the selection of drivers’ stewards on the FIA stewarding panel at any given race weekend, with Dutch publication De Telegraaf suggesting his comments were related to the appointments of Herbert and Tim Mayer – son of McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer – making up half of the four-man stewarding panel in Mexico. “Max is not going to change his driving style because there were a couple of stewards present now who don’t like him anyway,” Verstappen said. “The FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there, and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest.
“From former drivers, for example, who have more sympathy for certain drivers or [teams].” Given the small pool of former drivers interested in appearing as a driver’s steward, an expenses-only position for a weekend, cutting off income streams for their punditry would make the role even more unpalatable, believes Jacques Villeneuve. The 1997 F1 World Champion was speaking in an interview with Grosvenor Sport , in which he scoffed at Verstappen’s suggestion that the stewards shouldn’t be allowed to speak to the media.
“I didn’t see anything bad from Herbert and as far as I can see the rules were followed in Mexico,” he said. “They do the marshaling for free so [Jos Verstappen] cannot ask a pundit to give up his job to do something for nothing. “You won’t have any marshals! Either you have paid marshals, and they do that as a full-time job as in most other sports.
“Or you will always have an issue. It’s not always easy to be fully neutral. It’s that simple.
But the rules are badly written, that’s the first issue.” Read Next: FIA president power struggle theory emerges after shock F1 race director exit.
