Johnny Herbert revealed the extent of the attacks he received from Max Verstappen fans after questioning the Dutch driver’s behavior in some Formula 1 battles. The former driver and ex-FIA steward stated that he even received death threat messages.
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Herbert, who left the steward role at the end of the 2024 season, said the reaction came after comments about what he called Verstappen’s ‘horrible mentality’ when the Dutchman battles wheel-to-wheel. According to the Brit, the attacks initially came from Dutch fans but also came from other countries.
“The Dutch fans who didn’t like me questioning Max Verstappen. Actually, they weren’t just Dutch. They were from other countries too: ‘Death to Herbert’. They were the worst. They accuse me of being biased. They still do that with Martin Brundle,” Herbert said, referring to the former F1 driver and current commentator.
Herbert also rebutted accusations that his F1 coverage was marked by an alleged British bias, especially regarding Lewis Hamilton. Herbert acknowledged his support for his compatriot but stated that this does not prevent an objective analysis.
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“They say: ‘You are biased towards Lewis Hamilton’. Well, we are British, and Lewis is British. You are Dutch and support Max, and you say we are biased, but you want us to support Max. They can’t have both. Of course, we will support a British driver, but that is objective,” he added.
Herbert continued, saying there is also admiration for Verstappen and used football to explain his position: “If England were playing against the Netherlands in football, of course I would support England,” he concluded.
After leaving the FIA steward role, the Brit no longer needs to maintain the same neutrality required during race weekends, although his statements may lead to decisions made while in the role being viewed more critically.
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