Johnny Herbert, an FIA steward this year, defended the punishment imposed on Max Verstappen for using inappropriate language during the Singapore weekend.
The world champion will now have to perform community service to make up for the “mistake,” something he has obviously opposed, refusing to speak further in press conferences and only speaking in the paddock.
Why Max Verstappen received a punishment from the FIA…
“At the Singapore press conference, Max used the ‘f’ word to refer to his car. Press conferences are broadcast all over the world. There’s more swearing than ever. A press conference is not the right place for that,” the former driver told Casino Hawks – “Some journalists said that the sport is trying to turn drivers into robots. That’s not true. You’re just asking them not to swear, which I think is the right thing. Most drivers don’t swear. Things blew up afterward because he went to the press conference and gave one-word answers, then held his improvised press conference outside in the paddock.”
Johnny Herbert also said he “loves” this side of the Dutch driver’s character, even though things need to be done with some restraint.
“It showed Max’s rebellious streak. I love that side of him; it’s what makes Max, with his honest and straightforward character. But there’s a time and place. I don’t want my five-year-old grandson listening to that kind of language.”
The steward then explained how the decision to punish Verstappen was made and how the conversation with him went: “The incident was reported to us as stewards. We had a nice open chat with Max for about 20 minutes, half an hour, in what was a difficult situation. You could see on his face that he was really upset about it. But when he left, he seemed more at peace with the process and the reason he was there. He didn’t blame us as stewards.” – he added.
“As stewards, we have a set of tools to punish drivers. We’re there to enforce the rules and make a decision together. We could have fined him, but we thought it would be more useful to get him to do something socially responsible. It’s up to Max and the FIA to decide what that is.” – Johnny Herbert concluded.
These are the main reasons why Max Verstappen received a punishment rather than just a fine. We’ll see how this strange situation evolves.
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