‘Don’t Really Care’: Max Verstappen Fires Back at Johnny Herbert Over Liam Lawson ‘threat’ Controversy

Max Verstappen does not care much about what former F1 steward Johnny Herbert has to say about the intra-team dynamics currently in play at Red Bull. The Dutch driver received an earful from Herbert about what he said about Liam Lawson a couple of weeks ago, but has since played down the remark.

“Do I understand why he says that? I don’t know. I don’t really care at all. What does that matter to me?” was all the No. 3 driver had to say when asked about the comments of Herbert.

Verstappen’s words come after Herbert branded him “out of order” for ripping into Lawson after the incidents of Mexico City. Per the Briton, “It was the Jekyll and Hyde side of Max.” He added that it shouldn’t come as a surprise to many, as this is the sort of thing Verstappen is used to doing.

Notably, this is not all Herbert had to say. While the ‘threat’ from Verstappen to Lawson is what irked Herbert, the former race steward was also impressed with a brilliant drive from the Dutchman to win the race in Mexico City. “That’s what we’ve always seen with him,” concluded Herbert, who was still far from happy with the exchange between the drivers.

The Matter at Hand Involving Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson

It all began in Free Practice 2 in Mexico City, when Verstappen and Lawson met each other on track, in the build-up to Turn 13. Heading into the stadium section, Verstappen tried to make a pass on the inside of Lawson, but was muscled off the track by the New Zealander.

Far from happy with what he saw, the four-time world champion came back over the kerb and made contact with his sister team’s driver.

Speaking to the F1 media after the race, Verstappen put the blame solely on the Racing Bulls driver and stated that it was not a very clever move from a driver who is fighting for a seat on the grid for next year. He added that if the roles were reversed, he would never do such a thing with Lawson.

At the time, Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane remained critical of both drivers, as he branded the entire incident as “unnecessary.” Given that he hadn’t heard Verstappen’s comments by then, Permane stated that while both drivers would have opinions of their own, his was that such things are not needed and they both need to do better.

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson Have Since Cleared the Air

On the morning after the FP2 incident, the two drivers sat down to clear the air, with Lawson revealing that everything had been sorted out between them. While he admitted that the incident wasn’t ideal and something of the sort shouldn’t happen in Practice, Lawson admitted that he had apologized to his senior driver.

He further clarified that it was never his intention to make contact with the Dutchman and that he’ll learn from it going forward. Lawson remained tight-lipped about his feelings about Verstappen’s words, but still defended his teammate by chalking the words up to an adrenaline rush.

Meanwhile, Verstappen also later clarified that the drivers had buried the hatchet, and they had spoken internally. He added that everyone now has a clear picture of where everything is going, and while he understands that Lawson wants to make a good impression, Verstappen feels he should try it with someone else.

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