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MAX VERSTAPPEN LEFT PLENTY OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING ONE FORMER FIA FORMULA 1 STEWARD, UNIMPRESSED WITH HIS SEEMINGLY DELIBERATE COLLISION WITH GEORGE RUSSELL IN BARCELONA 12:47, 04 Jun 2025
Former Formula 1 race steward Johnny Herbert insists Max Verstappen should have been disqualified after "overstepping the mark" at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Dutchman has been
widely criticised for appeared to deliberately bang wheels with George Russell during the Barcelona race. Angry already with his car's lack of performance, he was infuriated by contact
with Charles Leclerc and Russell after a late safety car restart. And, when told to give up a place to the latter, he lost his temper and initiated the contact out of frustration. He was
handed a 10-second penalty which dropped him from fifth place to 10th and dealt a blow to his title hopes. But Nico Rosberg said he should have been disqualified on the live Sky Sports
coverage, and Herbert is on the same wavelength as the German. "Yes, I totally agree with Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen deserved a black flag and should have been disqualified," the
ex-F1 steward told _RoobetAlternatives_. "There's a point where you have to be hard on the driver when there have been many of these types of incidents. SIGN UP TO OUR FREE WEEKLY
F1 NEWSLETTER, PIT LANE CHRONICLE, BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW SO THAT EVERY NEW EDITION LANDS STRAIGHT IN YOUR INBOX! Article continues below "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." READ MORE: Max Verstappen vs George Russell: Soured relationship and 'd***head' comment amid F1 feudREAD MORE:
Toto Wolff sparks fresh row after Max Verstappen comments following Spanish GP Speaking after the race, Russell also felt his rival should have been black-flagged for his actions. And the
Brit also said it was "a shame" that a four-time F1 champion with the undeniable talent Verstappen has would lose control in the way he did. Herbert feels the same way and pointed
to the Dutchman's glorious race-winning overtake in Imola just two weeks earlier as an example of how Verstappen can go from the sublime to the ridiculous. He added: "The move he
made in Imola made me go 'wow', then the move he made in Spain takes away that 'wow', it totally disappears and it's frustrating. Sky Sports launches discounted
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every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192. As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV
channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+. "I've said it before and I'll say it again until I'm blue in the face, Verstappen doesn't need to make
these moves. He has the skill to make clear overtakes, and the wheel banging is probably to make a point because of what happened at turn one on the restart with Russell. He felt aggrieved
at having to give the place back. Article continues below "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. 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."