Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, has warned that FIA stewards “should not speak to the press at all” after Johnny Herbert publicly criticized the Red Bull driver.

Red Bull star Verstappen He received two 10-second penalties for separate incidents with the McLaren driver and his F1 2024 championship rival Lando Norris At the Mexican Grand Prix last weekend.

Jos Verstappen warns FIA stewards over media dealings after Johnny Herbert criticism

This resulted in a rare sighting of Verstappen standing motionless for 20 seconds during his pit stop at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and the Dutchman finished a distant sixth.

Meanwhile, Norris finished second behind Carlos Sainz in the World Championship, taking 10 points off Verstappen’s lead; this was the most points Verstappen had lost to his main rival in a single race in which both had completed the entire season.

Former F1 driver and Sky F1 television pundit Herbert was part of the four-man FIA stewarding panel that decided Verstappen’s penalty.

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Speaking independently earlier this week, Herbert criticized Verstappen’s “terrible mentality” and defended the decision to punish the three-time World Champion, describing his actions in the wheel-to-wheel battle with Norris as “an absolute no no”.

Verstappen Sr admitted his son “went too far” in the second incident with Norris at Mexico’s Turn 7; here both drivers went into the run-off field before Red Bull took the lead.

But Herbert insisted that FIA officials should not be allowed to speak to the media after broadcasting his post-race thoughts.

Mr Verstappen told Viaplay: “I thought Max went too far the second time in Mexico.

“I think he feels the same way right now. I can tell him that honestly, too. I think you need to be open and honest.

“I don’t think a referee should ever talk to the press and have a permanent job. And that’s certainly not the case at the moment.”

Mr Verstappen’s latest comments come after the FIA ​​expressed concerns that it risked “the appearance of a conflict of interest” with the selection of stewards at F1 race weekends.

According to Dutch publication De TelegraafHis comments are believed to be related to the appointments of Herbert and Tim Mayer, the son of late McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer, who make up half of the four-man arbitration panel in Mexico.

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.”

Herbert is again on the stewards’ panel for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, where Verstappen received a retroactive five-second penalty and one penalty point for a Virtual Safety Car infringement in Saturday’s Interlagos sprint race.

Verstappen dropped from third to fourth behind Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in the final classification of the Brazilian mini-race, and Norris’ victory reduced the Red Bull driver’s lead in the World Championship to 44 points ahead of today’s main event in Sao Paulo.

Verstappen’s latest penalty on his superlicense comes after he took his tally to seven points in the last 12 months with two points in Mexico.

Under the current F1 penalty points system, which was introduced in 2014, drivers are penalized with a race ban if they collect 12 points in a 12-month period; Haas driver Kevin Magnussen became the first driver to be banned under the F1 system in early 2024.

If Verstappen commits no offenses during the remainder of the Brazilian GP weekend, his points tally will be reduced by two points on November 19, minus the 12-month penalty he received for pushing Leclerc off the track at last year’s Las Vegas GP. window.

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