Following the Grand Prix of Mexico, former racer Johnny Herbert expressed criticism of Max Verstappen’s racing mentality. This was notable as Herbert was one of the three FIA stewards on duty in Mexico. “Is it strange that he expresses himself in this way? Well, at least you know where he stands,” Verstappen responded to a small group of Dutch media in Brazil.
In the lead-up to the GP of São Paulo this coming Sunday, much attention is being paid to the time penalties Verstappen received in Mexico following his duels with title rival Lando Norris and the potential tightening of the rules. During the FIA press conference, Verstappen was – almost traditionally – critically questioned by the chauvinistic British media. “I am a three-time world champion, I’ve been in Formula 1 for ten years. I know what I’m doing,” he responded.
Later, in a smaller group, Verstappen was much more open. Verstappen had previously been given a community service order by the FIA because he described the state of his car as ‘fucked’ in Singapore. About Herbert: “He immediately had a strong opinion. What I had said in the press conference was not suitable for five-year-olds. But after the press conference in Mexico, I heard nothing,” said Verstappen, referring to an innocent verbal slip by Charles Leclerd who also used the F-word. Verstappen, sarcastically: “But maybe those five-year-olds were already asleep.”
‘Unusual for Herbert to Express Himself in This Way’
Herbert also did not hold back in Mexico about Verstappen and said, among other things, that he despised the Dutchman’s racing mentality. “If he shows the abhorrent mentality of trying to gain an advantage by driving a fellow racer off the track so that Ferrari can take a one-two, then he should know that he doesn’t need that,” Herbert said. “Just win in the fairest way possible. Norris was talking about ‘fair racing’, that’s what we want to see.”
Max Verstappen tries not to concern himself too much with the alleged bias of the FIA stewards. For instance, in Mexico, Tim Mayer, son of McLaren founder Teddy Mayer, was also one of the stewards. Verstappen says he does not investigate who the stewards on duty are before a race weekend. After all, the setup of his RB20 demands his full attention.
‘If there’s a wall, we’ll tear it down’
“It’s quite unusual for Herbert to speak out like this,” admits Max Verstappen. “Do I ever feel like I’m being backed into a corner? Not at all. And if there were a wall, we’d tear it down. You know, it’s fine that everything I do is highlighted. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it works against you.”
However, Verstappen suspects that the criticism, especially from the British side, does come from somewhere. “I really do understand how most people are. Everything went perfectly at Red Bull last year, which must have hurt a lot of people. And now it’s all coming out. Now they have the chance to say something negative and they’re going all in. I said it last week: I probably have the wrong passport.”
‘I always demand everything from myself’
The resistance on and off the track seemingly makes the challenge even greater for Verstappen. He sees it differently: “I always demand everything from myself. My challenge for last year was to try to win all the races. With such a fast car, you focus on other things. Now the car is less competitive and I’m trying to win the remaining races again. That’s different. You always try to set the bar high, but at a realistic height. You know, what happened last week (the clash with Norris) happened, we just need to make sure we have a better car, so you don’t get into that situation again. That’s where it all starts and that’s what we as a team are working on.”
He hasn’t had any contact with Lando Norris since the race in Mexico. But there’s no need for that, Verstappen emphasizes. Their mutual friendship is still intact, despite their rivalry becoming increasingly intense. “You know what? Even if you’re best friends, if you’re fighting for a championship, you’re both going for it. After the incident in Austria, we talked, we said what needed to be said and also said: we just need to race hard. That hasn’t changed. And we both understand that we’re fighting for a world championship. This isn’t a Sunday drive.”
