Johnny Herbert backs Nico Rosberg: “Max Verstappen deserved a black flag like Michael Schumacher in 1997”. Johnny Herbert sides with Nico Rosberg.

The former driver condemns the Dutchman
“Max Verstappen deserved a black flag, he did it on purpose, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the move was what happened between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez in Malaysia in 2015.” Nico Rosberg, commentating during the Spanish GP as a technical analyst for Sky Sports UK, gave this reaction to Max Verstappen’s contact with George Russell at Turn 5.

Johnny Herbert, former driver and now also a former steward after stepping down from the FIA panel due to controversy over his dual role as both “referee” and TV pundit, echoed Rosberg’s view, stressing that the black flag would have been the appropriate punishment for Max Verstappen.

“The black flag is a measure that could have been considered by the stewards and the race director. This kind of aggressive driving must be stopped,” Herbert told RoobetAlternatives. “Anyone can crash into another car, but it’s absolutely wrong to hit another driver on purpose. It has happened in the past, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, with Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, and also with Jacques Villeneuve. In the 1997 incident, Michael Schumacher was disqualified. I like to think I was a tough but fair driver, and Verstappen is too, but that collision crossed the line. It’s something I don’t want to see, and neither do the other drivers. These things have no place in F1 and should be punished harshly to ensure they don’t happen again. A 10-second penalty is insufficient because it puts this maneuver on the same level as other racing incidents.”