Jos Verstappen, the father of Max Verstappen, has warned that FIA stewards “should not talk to the press at all” after Johnny Herbert’s public criticism of the Red Bull driver.

Red Bull star Verstappen was hit with two 10-second penalties for separate incidents with McLaren driver and F1 2024 title rival Lando Norris at last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Jos Verstappen warns FIA stewards over media dealings after Johnny Herbert criticism

It resulted in the rare sight of Verstappen sitting stationary for 20 seconds during his pit stop at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with the Dutchman going on to finish a distant sixth.

Norris, meanwhile, finished second to Carlos Sainz to take 10 points out of Verstappen’s lead in the World Championship – the most amount of points Verstappen has lost to his main rival in a single race in which both have finished all season.

Herbert, the former F1 driver and Sky F1 television pundit, was on the four-man FIA stewards’ panel that decided Verstappen’s punishment.

Speaking in an independent capacity earlier this week, Herbert criticised Verstappen’s “horrible mindset” and defended the decision to penalise the three-time World Champion, describing his actions in wheel-to-wheel battle with Norris as an “absolute no no.”

Verstappen Sr has acknowledged that his son “went too far” in the second incident with Norris at Mexico’s Turn 7, where both drivers took to the run-off area before the Red Bull rejoined ahead.

Yet he insisted that FIA stewards should not be permitted to speak to the media after Herbert aired his post-race reflections.

Mr Verstappen told Viaplay: “I thought Max went too far the second time in Mexico as well.

“I think he feels the same now. I can also just say that honestly to him. I think you have to be open and honest.

“I think a steward should not talk to the press at all and do a constant job. And that is definitely not the case now.”

Mr Verstappen’s latest comments come after he aired concerns that the FIA risks having the “appearance of a conflict of interest” with their selection of stewards’ on F1 race weekends.

According to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, his comments are believed to be related to the appointments of Herbert and Tim Mayer, the son of the late McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer, who made up half of the four-man stewards’ panel in Mexico.

Mr Verstappen told De Telegraaf: “If you look at Sunday’s actions, Max’s second moment may have been a bit too much, but he is letting this get over him.

“You can start talking about it for a very long time, but it makes no difference anyway. Max has to drive the way he wants.

“He has to do this because the car is not good enough and he is doing everything he can to win the title.

“But Max is not going to change his driving style because there were a couple of stewards present now who don’t like him anyway.

“The FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest.

“From former drivers, for example, who have more sympathy for certain drivers or [teams].”

Herbert is again on the stewards’ panel at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, where Verstappen was hit with a retrospective five-second penalty and one penalty point for a Virtual Safety Car infringement during Saturday’s sprint race at Interlagos.

Verstappen dropped from third to fourth – behind Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc – in the final classification for the Brazil mini race, with Norris’s victory reducing the Red Bull driver’s lead in the World Championship to 44 points ahead of today’s main event in Sao Paulo.

The latest penalty point on Verstappen’s superlicence comes after he was hit with two in Mexico, putting him on seven accumulated over the last 12 months.

Under the current F1 penalty points system introduced in 2014, drivers are hit with a race ban if they collect 12 over a 12-month period, with Haas man Kevin Magnussen becoming the first driver to be banned under the system earlier in F1 2024.

If Verstappen does not commit any further offences for the rest of the Brazilian GP weekend, his tally is set to decrease by two points on November 19 when his penalty for forcing Leclerc off track at last year’s Las Vegas GP falls out of his 12-month window.