2 weeks Ago By Thomas Maher
Max Verstappen was not impressed by comments made by FIA steward Johnny Herbert following the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Dutch driver was given two separate time penalties during the Mexico City Grand Prix, with the three-time F1 Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert sitting on the stewards panel for the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Speaking during the week following the race in Mexico, Herbert spoke about his evaluation of Verstappen’s driving – having been involved in the decision-making process that saw the reigning World Champion hit with two 10-second time penalties for his tactics in battle with McLaren title rival Lando Norris.
“Was Verstappen’s driving style on the edge or over the top? Yes, it was,” Herbert said. “Verstappen’s driving style was harsh, especially when he’s taking a fellow driver off the track. It’s an absolute no-no from me, current drivers, former drivers and stewards.
“I am such a big fan of Verstappen and it frustrates me massively when he drives the way he did in Mexico. “He doesn’t need to do it, he’s so good in the cockpit and at this point in the Championship, he just needs to stay out of trouble and drive as well as possible. “When Verstappen goes into this horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track so Ferrari can get the one-two, that is where Verstappen needs to know he doesn’t have to do that.
Just win in the cleanest possible way you can. “The attitude in the Stewards’ room was really good and our decision was clear because the guidelines tell us what to look at and how to deal with the situation. “When we applied the two 10-second penalties to Max Verstappen, we were all in agreement.
Always remember, there are four stewards who make these decisions.” With Herbert juggling media opportunities alongside his FIA stewarding role, it led Jos Verstappen – Max’s father – to tell Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that “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.” Speaking to Dutch media ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix – at which Herbert is also on the stewarding panel for the final time in F1 2024 – Verstappen was unhappy with Herbert’s comments as he questioned the consistency of decision-making.
One of Verstappen’s time penalties in Mexico was given for going off track and gaining a lasting advantage while, seven days prior, Norris was given a lesser five-second time penalty for the same transgression. According to the stewards’ reckoning, Norris merited the lesser penalty due to having been pushed off by his title rival, which Verstappen responded to by saying: “Yes, that way you can dick a point out of everything.” Asked about Herbert’s comments following earlier comments in the press conference in which he accused “some people” of being “biased”, Verstappen said: “Well, now you know where he stands.
“It’s pretty abnormal for him to say this, right? People act like I’m doing it all on purpose. But they can’t see inside my head. They are pretty extreme accusations.
Yes, we raced hard. That’s right. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
” 👉 Max Verstappen car collection: What supercars does the F1 World Champion own? 👉 Max Verstappen net worth: How the World Champion has built his incredible fortune Verstappen also pointed out in the press conference that he felt he had been singled out for using bad language in the Singapore Grand Prix press conference, for which he was punished by being hit with the requirement to do some work in the public interest. In Mexico, Charles Leclerc used the same expletive in the post-race press conference, but was not summoned by the stewards – although the understanding is that this may change over the course of the Brazilian GP weekend. Having received a ‘community service’ punishment in Singapore, Verstappen said: “Then [Herbert] had his big opinion ready.
“That what I said couldn’t be done because five-year-olds hear that too. “After Mexico, I didn’t hear him when Charles Leclerc said the same thing at a press conference that was much better watched. “Then again, it was late in Europe by then, maybe the thought was that those five-year-olds are all asleep by then.
” Verstappen, speaking on a gaming stream during the week, said he felt he “had the wrong passport” and repeated this point as he was asked about the criticism from the likes of Hill and Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle. “If they all knew it so well prior to their careers, they would all have become champions,” he said. “I know a lot of people are biased and that I have the wrong passport.
I’m very happy with my passport, mind you, but in this paddock, it’s the wrong one. “I know how most people are. Last year, almost everything went perfectly.
It must have hurt a lot of people so much that they couldn’t say anything negative. “Now it’s all coming out and they’re going full steam ahead. They’re doing just fine.
It doesn’t upset me.” With Verstappen attempting to win his fourth consecutive title in a car no longer capable of victories, Verstappen said things would be far easier for him if the RB20 was more competitive. “Because that’s where it all starts,” he said.
“Whether my back is against the wall and that’s why I drive like this? No. And if there were a wall, we’d break it down.” Herbert, who was on the stewards’ panel in Mexico, responded to the notion of British bias following Verstappen senior’s comments.
“There always seems to be an issue about us British stewards being ‘biased’, but when we’re in that room, we abide by the rules and guidelines from the FIA. That is how we have to judge the racing on the track,” he told Action Network . “To say it’s ‘biased’ is absolutely ridiculous and not the case.
We try as hard as possible to be fair in our judgement. “The issue we have is the tactics we see on the track, there are driving styles that are not deemed correct according to the guidelines, and the situation we had in Mexico showed that we made the right decision. “In Mexico, the stewards other than me were American, Belgian, and Brazilian, all who have the same powers as each other.
To say there’s bias is ridiculous.” Read Next: Lando Norris makes new Max Verstappen demand ahead of next duel in Brazil.
