Verstappen 'overstepping the mark' with Russell move, warns Johnny Herbert

15:51, 03 Jun

bySienna Ionta

Johnny Herbert, former FIA steward and Sky F1 pundit, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Max Verstappen’s defensive move against George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix.

The incident occurred in the closing stages of the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After being instructed by his race engineer to yield position to Russell due to an earlier off-track excursion, Verstappen appeared to comply but then accelerated into Turn 5, making contact with the Mercedes driver.

The F1 pundit commented to a gambling website, "I totally agree with Nico Rosberg: Max Verstappen deserved a black flag and should have been disqualified." Nico Rosberg was one of a few who scrutinised Verstappen's driving conduct after this weekend.

Herbert: Verstappen is "overstepping the mark"

Herbert, condemned the move as deliberate and dangerous. He stated, "It was clear as day that Verstappen’s move on George Russell was on purpose... To me, that’s overstepping the mark." Herbert further expressed frustration, noting that while Verstappen possesses exceptional race craft, incidents like these tarnish his reputation.

“Verstappen is the best driver on the track, with the best race craft and judgement, but there is always a story with him."

"The move he made in Imola made me go ‘wow’, then the move he made in Spain takes away that ‘wow’."

This manoeuvre resulted in a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points for Verstappen, dropping him from fifth to tenth place and bringing him to 11 penalty points—just one shy of an automatic race ban. With upcoming races in Canada and Austria, Verstappen will need to exercise caution to avoid further penalties that could impact his championship campaign