Sitting on the stewards’ panel at the Singapore Grand Prix, Johnny Herbert justified and defended the decision then taken to punish Max Verstappen for using foul language in a press conference. The three-time world champion will have to carry out work of general interest, in a context where the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, deplored a few days earlier the way certain drivers speak, particularly on the radio.
For Johnny Herbert, there was a pressure cooker effect during the week of the Singapore Grand Prix, which contributed to growing resentment among drivers towards the legislator and to “arouse hostility”. However, the former driver assures that it was necessary to restart Max Verstappen and that this had no direct link with the interview given to Motorsport.com on Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“At a press conference in Singapore, Max used the word that starts with an F to talk about his car” “Press conferences are broadcast all over the world. There are more bad words than there have ever been. A press conference is not the place for that. Some journalists have said that F1 was trying to turn pilots into robots, but that’s not the case. They’re just asked not to swear, which I think is a good thing. Most pilots don’t swear.”
“The incident was brought to the attention of the commissioners. We had an open discussion with Max for around twenty minutes or half an hour, in a difficult situation. You could see on his face that he was very angry but when he left, he seemed calm about the procedure and its reason for being. He did not blame the commissioners.
“We have a range of sanctions to punish drivers. We are there to apply the rules and make a collective decision. We could have fined him, but we felt it would be more beneficial for him to bring him to something socially responsible. It’s up to Max and the FIA to see what that will be.”
“Everything blew up afterwards because he went to a press conference and only responded in one word, before holding an impromptu press briefing outside in the paddock. It shows the rebellious side of Max. I love this part of him, it’s what makes him Max, his honest and frank character. But there is a time and a place for everything. Personally, I think there is. too many bad words. I don’t want my 5 year old grandson to hear that kind of language.”
Johnny Herbert regularly sits among the commissioners.
Photo de: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Several drivers supported Max Verstappen in his approach, including Lewis Hamilton, who also criticized the exit of Mohammed Ben Sulayem for having referred to a language “of rapper”. The GPDA also intends to discuss this issue behind the scenes, and Johnny Herbert specifies that a lot of discussions have in fact already taken place during the Singapore weekend.
he admits. “They have all united behind Max. I notice that the drivers are much more united than I have seen for many years. They have much clearer opinions on certain subjects. Ben Sulayem wants to eradicate profanity. J ‘espère que le bon sens prévaudra, les pilotes et la FIA doivent travailler ensemble.”
“Among the drivers, there is a general understanding that swearing in a press conference is not okay. It just grew more and more after the president’s comments about rappers, which some found offensive, Then with the fact that Max was summoned before the commissioners in Singapore. “
“Subsequently, we had a meeting with the pilots, during which at least one of them, who I will not name, made it clear that bad words were unacceptable. There are many young people in the world who love F1 and admire the drivers. They must understand that they are role models.
