FIA steward pulls back the curtain on his relationship with Max Verstappen's father after backlash over some of his calls
Former racing driver turned FIA steward, Johnny Herbert, shed light on his relationship with Max Verstappen's dad, Jos Verstappen, saying the narrative of a feud is built by the media. This comes after Jos seemingly took a jibe at the steward for being biased against his son at the Mexican and Brazil GP.
The 27-year-old Red Bull driver was slapped with two 10-second penalties for separate incidents involving his championship rival, Lando Norris. Verstappen pushed the McLaren driver off the track on Turn 4 of the 11th lap and repeated the same move on Turn 8. After investigation, the FIA steward panel, which included Johnny Herbert, dished out two penalties totaling 20 seconds.
In the following weekend in Brazil, the 27-year-old faced a five-second penalty for failing to slow down under the virtual safety car during the sprint race. With Herbert on the panel again, fans lashed out at the steward, alleging bias. Previously, the steward was also a part of the committee that announced Max Verstappen would have to perform community service after he used a cuss word.
Meanwhile, Jos Verstappen shared his views on the penalties and opined that the FIA was ignoring a "conflict of interest" as some stewards don't like Max, reportedly hinting at Herbert and Tim Mayer, who was recently sacked by the FIA.
His son Max Verstappen also spoke out against Herbert before the Brazilian GP. Following these events, fans also criticised Herbert's decision making.
Amid rumors of a brewing feud, Johnny Herbert spoke to FlashscoreUSA.com and dismissed the rumors of conflict with Jos Verstappen. He added that the 52-year-old would still greet him if they bumped into each other in the paddock. Herbert said (via Planet F1),
“I don’t think we have a beef with each other. It is everyone else stirring it up around us. We both have our opinions. As far as I am concerned my relationship with Jos hasn’t changed. I like him. I do not have a problem with Jos. I think it is the same the other way around. If we saw each other in the paddock, I am sure we’d say ‘hi’ and shake hands."
However, the steward jokingly said that if a boxing ring match were to take place between him and Jos, he wouldn't hold back.
“If [we see Johnny Herbert vs Jos Verstappen in the boxing ring ], I’d make sure he would have mittens, and I would have the heaviest gloves you could buy."
Max Verstappen won his fourth championship in a row in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, beating Lando Norris in a tightly fought race.
Max Verstappen stays defiant on aggressive racing
Max Verstappen has hit back at those, including McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who have been critical of his driving style, saying that not everyone has the mentality needed to win championships. Speaking to Viaplay, the Red Bull driver said that he has no regrets about crossing the line when hard racing a rival. Verstappen said, (via grandprix247),
"I will always go to the limit to get the most out of every race and if I have to force it, then that’s just how it goes. Sometimes you have to cross a line. Well, I do."
The 27-year-old said he had no regrets about the Mexico City GP incident with Lando Norris, adding,
"I will always do everything to get the maximum result for a championship. And of course, sometimes you have to go to the limit or over the limit, and not everyone understands that. Not everyone has that mentality.”
While Max Verstappen is known for his ruthless approach, there have been several instances of fans and observers criticizing his approach. However, throughout the criticism and tough moments, Red Bull has backed him, and Team principal Christian Horner said Max's aggressiveness is the key to his success, and the team had no plans to tame it down.