FIA steward Johnny Herbert has criticized Max Verstappen’s “terrible mentality”, handing out a 20-second penalty to the Red Bull driver for his “absolute no-no” response to a challenge against Lando Norris in Mexico.

Verstappen Two separate 10-second penalties were issued for incidents with McLaren’s Lando Norris at last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, and the Red Bull driver’s behavior in wheel-to-wheel combat came under scrutiny.

FIA official Johnny Herbert takes aim at Max Verstappen’s ‘terrible mentality’

In the first incident on Lap 10, Verstappen took Norris off the track as the McLaren driver attempted to pass him on the outside of Turn 4.

The second came just a few corners later when Verstappen made an aggressive move around the inside of Norris at the fast Turn 7; Both drivers went into the run-off area and Red Bull regained the lead.

Verstappen was forced to sit still for 20 seconds during the pit stop and eventually came home sixth, his worst classified result of the F1 2024 season.

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Norris, meanwhile, finished second behind the race-winner Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, reducing Verstappen’s lead in the World Championship to 47 points with four laps remaining.

Former F1 driver Herbert, who was a member of the four-person referee panel that decided to punish Verstappen in Mexico, defended the decision to give a heavy penalty to the Red Bull driver.

he said Action Network: “These were the rules we followed, the teams agreed with our decisions.

“The right decision was made, the 20-second penalty given to Max Verstappen was not harsh.

“Was Verstappen’s driving style at the limit or at the top? Yes, it was.

“Verstappen’s driving style was harsh, especially when taking a driver off the track. Absolute no-no from me, current drivers, former drivers and stewards.

“I’m a big fan of Verstappen and it pisses me off when he drives like he did in Mexico.

“He doesn’t need to do that, he’s very 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 gets into that terrible mentality of trying to gain an advantage by taking a driver off the race track so Ferrari can get a one-two, Verstappen needs to know that he doesn’t need to do that. Win in the cleanest way possible.”

“The attitude in the referees’ room was really good and our decision was clear because the rules tell us what to look for and how to deal with the situation.

“We were all in agreement when we imposed two ten-second penalties on Max Verstappen. Remember, there are four referees making these decisions.”

Herbert’s comments come after Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed the FIA ​​risks “the appearance of a conflict of interest” over the selection of steering committees at F1 race weekends.

Dutch broadcast De Telegraaf It emerged that Mr Verstappen’s concerns were believed to relate to Herbert, who previously worked as a Sky F1 UK television pundit, and Tim Mayer, son of the late McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer, who was on the panel in Mexico.

McLaren sits 29 points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship heading into this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, with the Woking outfit heading towards its first team title since 1998.

Verstappen’s reigning World Champion Red Bull team currently sits third, 54 points behind McLaren.

Mr Verstappen told De Telegraaf: “If you look at Sunday’s action, Max’s second moment may have been a bit much, but he’s letting it get to him.

“You can start talking about it for a very long time, but it still doesn’t make any difference. Max should drive the way he wants.

“He has to do this because the car is not good enough and he is trying his best to win the championship.

“But Max won’t change his driving style because there were a few stewards who didn’t like him at the moment.”

“The FIA ​​must take a good look at the referees’ staff, who they appoint and whether there are any conflicts of interest.”

“For example, from former drivers who have more sympathy for certain drivers or teams.”

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