Calls grow for FIA to penalise Max Verstappen more harshly after repeated collisions, raising questions about fairness and racing standards.
Johnny Herbert no longer wants to see deliberate collisions like the one caused by Max Verstappen with George Russell in Formula 1.
The former driver believes the Red Bull driver should have been disqualified from the race for what he considers an intentional attack on the Mercedes – an opinion also expressed by Nico Rosberg during the race as a commentator.
From Wow to Why
“I completely agree with Nico Rosberg: Max Verstappen deserved a black flag and should have been disqualified. At some point, you have to be tough with a driver when there have been many such incidents,” Herbert said.
“Verstappen is the best driver on the grid, with the best racecraft and judgment, but there’s always some drama with him. It’s usually some kind of racing incident that we all end up talking about when it comes to Verstappen, unfortunately.”
“It was clear that Verstappen’s move on George Russell was intentional. He slowed down in the right corner, where he could attack and regain position by hitting Russell. For me, that’s over the line. The overtake in Imola made me say ‘wow,’ but the move he made in Spain takes away that ‘wow.’ It completely disappears, and that’s frustrating.”
Talent Wasted, Tactics Questioned
Sharing a view already expressed in previous commentary and on the Grand Prix show, Herbert believes Verstappen doesn’t need to resort to such tactics to be the best.
He compares the situation with similar well-known incidents: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until I die – Verstappen doesn’t need to do these things.”
“He has the talent to make clean overtakes, and the wheel bump was probably to make a point because of what happened in Turn 1 during the restart with Russell. He felt aggrieved having to give the place back. On that occasion, Verstappen didn’t gain as much of an advantage as he did in Saudi Arabia, where he was penalised.”
“But he got away with that penalty too, which was only five seconds and should have been ten. The black flag was something the stewards and race director could have considered. This kind of racing where drivers hit each other needs to stop.”
History Echoes, Penalty Fails
“Anyone can go and hit another car, but it’s completely wrong to do it deliberately. It has happened in history, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, with Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, and with Jacques Villeneuve.”
“In the 1997 incident, Schumacher was disqualified for the season. As for me, I like to think I was a hard but fair driver, and Verstappen can be that too. This collision went too far. I don’t want to see that, and neither do the other drivers.”
According to the Briton, the decision to give Verstappen only a ten-second penalty sends the wrong message from the stewards:
“You can’t just hand out a ten-second penalty, otherwise you’re treating the incident like any other racing incident.”
Verstappen Dodges, Rosberg Reacts
“It Was Deliberate and It’s Not Acceptable”
Nico Rosberg also revisited the matter, especially after watching Verstappen’s interview with Sky F1’s Rachel Brooks, where the Dutchman tried to dodge the question about the incident: “Does it matter?”
Tense Exchange, No Denial
Brooks responded: “I think it does to the people watching,” forcing Verstappen to give a slightly clearer answer and avoid revisiting the moment: “Yes. Okay. That’s fine. I’d rather talk about the race than just one moment.”
Rosberg appreciated that Verstappen didn’t lie and praised the interviewer: “At least he didn’t lie about it, which I think is fair, and simply avoided answering. So I think he handled that well. Kudos to Rachel too.”
“It was a tough interview to manage, and she did a great job pushing the right buttons. But anyway, it doesn’t even need to be discussed. It’s super obvious. He felt wronged, even by his own team.”
Deliberate, Dangerous, Black Flag
“He was technically in the right with George Russell, because Russell’s car was out of control, and he was therefore allowed to stay ahead. Even his engineer told him ‘give the position back,’ which lit a fire under the lion. He just wanted to prove something – prove something against the rules too.”
“So he waited for him and tried to do the same as George, you know, and hit him from the inside, but in this case, of course, it was deliberate, and that’s not acceptable. It’s not acceptable. You can’t do that. It’s not allowed.”
And the 2016 World Champion repeated his call for a harsher penalty, specifically a race disqualification:
“I think the rules then would be the black flag. Yes. That’s why I said that if you wait for your opponent to hit them and crash into them, then it’s a black flag.”
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