"I’ll criticize anyone": FIA steward defiantly claps back at Max Verstappen's father's criticism

The to and fro between FIA steward Johnny Herbert and Max Verstappen's family seemingly continued even after the F1 Brazilian GP, as the Brit pushed back at claims that he was biased in his judgments. Since the race in Austin, the Red Bull driver has been vocal about 'British bias' being a thing in the sport. It first began with the controversy around Verstappen's battle with Lando Norris.

Furthermore, Max Verstappen getting two 10-second penalties in Mexico led to suggestions from Jos Verstappen that the stewarding panel comprising Johnny Herbert had a conflict of interest. Herbert had been a vocal critic of the Dutch driver's behaviour on track and the fact that he was a part of the panel that gave Max a 'harsh' penalty, seemed to escalate the situation.

This continued into the F1 Brazilian GP race weekend, with Jos Verstappen questioning why the FIA stewards were speaking to the media, indirectly referring to Johnny Herbert, who gives interviews to different websites and shares his opinions as a pundit. In response, Herbert told SafestBettingSites.co.uk (as quoted by Motorsport),

“I am Johnny Herbert the steward and the professional during a race weekend and Johnny Herbert a pundit at other times, who expresses what he thinks. When I am a steward, I do not express any opinions. Everyone has an opinion. [Sky Sports F1’s] Martin Brundle has an opinion. Why can’t I when I am not at the race track? The race track has been my world for 50 years."

Further noting that he would take a fair approach regardless of who they were, Herbert added:

“If I don’t quite agree with what I see on the race track I will say so. It is not just Max (Verstappen). I’ll criticise anyone if I feel it is warranted. I understand it from Jos’s point of view because it is his son. Is there any bias? No, of course not. I wasn’t the only one to think that Max was over the top in Mexico. Lando Norris and [McLaren boss] Zak Brown thought so too."

---

Johnny Herbert takes aim at Max Verstappen's father's vocal criticism of Red Bull earlier in the year

Johnny Herbert even talked about Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, being very vocal in his criticism of Red Bull early in the season. The Dutchman had made a point where he questioned various aspects of the team and criticized Christian Horner as well.

Mentioning Jos' criticism of Red Bull, Herbert said (via the aforementioned source):

“When I do speak to people on a Monday or Tuesday that is outside my stewarding responsibilities. Jos has always been very outspoken about what is happening at Red Bull. Is that his position to be? It is all very similar. If you have an opinion and you want to make it, then you can.”

With Max Verstappen more or less sealing the championship with his win in Brazil, it is highly unlikely that the back-and-forth continues. It is, however, a glimpse of what is to come next season as we could be heading towards a multi-team title battle.