Verstappen shrugs off Herbert criticism of his reaction to Lawson incident

Max Verstappen has brushed aside Johnny Herbert’s criticism of his reaction after the incident with Liam Lawson in Mexico. “It really doesn’t matter to me,” Verstappen said, adding that everything had been talked through and he would leave it there.

The incident happened during second practice in Mexico. Verstappen was on a preparation lap when he encountered Lawson. They ran side by side through the stadium section, after which Verstappen was forced off track and contact followed. Verstappen said he was disappointed with Lawson, although the air was quickly cleared.

Herbert had compared Verstappen’s sharp reaction to Jekyll and Hyde. Verstappen said he understood Lawson’s wish to prove himself, but not in this way: “I get that, but do that with someone else.”

On Red Bull’s internal rules, Verstappen said they were clear when he was a junior, or at least when he drove for Toro Rosso. He said management had changed somewhat in recent years, but he believed the situation was still broadly clear.