FIA steward Johnny Herbert has insisted that he is entitled to an opinion after Jos Verstappen aired concerns that F1’s governing body risks having “the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Johnny Herbert responds to Jos Verstappen’s criticism

Speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf after the race, Mr Verstappen claimed that the FIA risks having “the appearance of a conflict of interest” and suggested that a couple of the stewards on duty in Mexico “don’t like [Max] anyway.”

De Telegraaf claimed that Mr Verstappen was believed to be referring to Herbert, the former Sky F1 UK television pundit who publicly critciised Verstappen’s “horrible mindset” days later, and Tim Mayer, the son of the late McLaren co-founder Teddy Mayer.

Mr Verstappen doubled down on his complaints at last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, telling Viaplay that “a steward should not talk to the press at all and do a constant job”, claiming “that is definitely not the case now.”