FIA steward Johnny Herbert has defended Max Verstappen’s community service penalty for his swearing during the Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen was summoned to the Marina Bay Street Circuit stewards for an alleged breach of the International Sporting Code after swearing at his official press conference on Thursday, hours after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem called for a reduction in swearing by drivers.

The Red Bull driver was later ordered to serve community service as punishment for his words, although Lewis Hamilton urged Verstappen to boycott the “joke” penalty in his post-qualifying press conference, where Verstappen refused to answer questions but then held an extraordinary press conference in the paddock.

Herbert was one of the FIA ​​stewards in Singapore who dealt with the incident, and the three-time grand prix winner believes the punishment was fair.

“At the press conference in Singapore, Max used a swear word about his car. Press conferences are broadcast all over the world. There’s more swearing than ever. A press conference is not the right place for that,” he told Casino Hawks.

“Some journalists say the sport is trying to turn drivers into robots. That’s not the case. You just ask them not to swear, which I think is the right thing to do. Most drivers don’t swear.

“It then got worse because he came to the press conference and gave a one-word reply and then held an impromptu press conference outside the paddock.

“That shows the rebellious side of Max. I like that side of him, that’s what makes him honest and straightforward, Max.

“But there’s a time and a place. Personally, I think there’s too much swearing. I don’t want my five-year-old nephew to hear that language.”
Speaking to Verstappen
Recalling the discussion in the room with Verstappen, Herbert detailed how the three-time F1 champion was “softened” and the penalty decided to be a community service rather than a simple fine.

“The incident was brought to us as stewards,” Herbert added. “We had an open conversation with Max for about 20 minutes, half an hour, in a difficult situation.

“You could see on his face that he was really worried about it. But when he left, he seemed calmer about the process and why it was there. He didn’t blame us as stewards.

“As stewards, we have a lot of tools to punish drivers. We are there to enforce the rules and make decisions together.

“We could fine him, but we felt it would be more beneficial to make him do something socially responsible. That decision is up to Max and the FIA.”