Former FIA driver’s steward Johnny Herbert says he agreed with Sky F1 consultant Nico Rosberg’s explosive call for Max Verstappen to be black-flagged for his deliberate collision with George Russell at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Herbert, a seasoned voice in Formula 1 and an ex-steward, didn’t hold back in his assessment of Verstappen’s controversial manoeuvre.
The incident unfolded on Lap 61 at Turn 5 of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, when Verstappen appeared to deliberately collide with Russell following a heated exchange earlier in the lap.
Tensions had flared after a Safety Car restart, where Russell lunged down the inside at Turn 1, forcing Verstappen wide in a bold but aggressive move.
Despite Verstappen initially having the racing line, Red Bull instructed their star driver to let Russell back through — a call the team later admitted was based on an incorrect interpretation of the situation.
Frustrated and clearly unimpressed, Verstappen waited until Turn 5 to exact what appeared to be a calculated response, deliberately running into the Mercedes driver’s car.
Rosberg immediately called for the harshest of penalties.
“Wow, that’s bad, bad, bad. That is seriously bad,” reacted the 2016 world champion.
“He just rams him, full on. You need to black flag that, there is no other way. Max was in the right – at first. The team went against Max and caused him to boil over.”
Black Flag and Disqualification the Right Call
Herbert, who served as an FIA steward until the end of last season before leaving due to media commitments, agreed fully with Rosberg’s assessment.
“Yes, I totally agree with Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen deserved a black flag and should have been disqualified,” the three-time Grand Prix winner told RoobetAlternatives.
Herbert, channeling his former inner-steward, emphasized that Verstappen’s record of controversial incidents demands stronger consequences.
“There's a point where you have to be hard on the driver when there have been many of these types of incidents. Verstappen is the best driver on the track, with the best racecraft and judgement, but there is always a story with him.
“It's usually some kind of racing incident we all end up talking about with Verstappen, unfortunately. It was clear as day that Verstappen's move on George Russell was on purpose.”
“He backed out at the right corner, where he could then attack and retake the place by driving into Russell. To me, that's overstepping the mark.”
A Far Too Lenient Punishment
The FIA ultimately handed Verstappen a 10-second time penalty, which dropped him from fifth to tenth place in the final classification. But Herbert believes that punishment was far too lenient — and sends the wrong message.
“A black flag is something that could have been thought of by the stewards and the race director, you have to stop this wheel-banging type of racing,” he said.
“Anyone can go and crash into another car, it's totally wrong to purposely bang into a fellow driver.
“It's happened historically, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, with Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, and with Jacques Villeneuve too. In the 1997 incident, Schumacher was banned for the season.”
“For me, I'd like to think I was a hard and clean racer, and Verstappen can be that too, that collision overstepped the mark. I don't want to see it, nor do the drivers.
“That type of racing should not happen, if it does happen, the penalty should be harsher to stamp it out. It can't just be a 10-second penalty, otherwise you're treating it like any other racing incident.”
Herbert’s remarks align with growing concern within the paddock that certain driving standards are being undermined by inconsistent stewarding.
With Verstappen now under renewed scrutiny for his on-track conduct, both Herbert and Rosberg's comments may intensify pressure on the FIA to review how it polices intentional contact between drivers.
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