Johnny Herbert has lifted the lid on the ugly backlash he faced after daring to question Max Verstappen, claiming the most vicious abuse of his career came from fans of the four-time world champion.
The former Grand Prix winner, who went on to carved out a second career as a television pundit and FIA steward, became a lightning rod for criticism whenever his opinions crossed swords with Verstappen supporters.
Herbert’s position as a steward only added fuel to the fire. While he was occasionally outspoken about Verstappen’s driving, he was also involved in decisions that directly affected the Red Bull driver, prompting accusations that his media appearances created a conflict of interest.
Those tensions boiled over after the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, when Verstappen and his father Jos both took aim at Herbert, with Jos questioning whether a steward should be speaking publicly about the championship’s biggest stars.
But Herbert says the online reaction from Verstappen’s supporters went far beyond ordinary sporting rivalry.
‘Death to Herbert’
Asked by Vision4Sport which fans had subjected him to the most abuse during his time as a pundit and steward, Herbert did not hesitate.
"That's easy! The Dutch fans who took issue with me questioning Max Verstappen," Herbert replied.
He then revealed just how extreme some of the messages became.
"Actually, they weren't just Dutch. They were from other countries as well. 'Death to Herbert.' They were the worst. They accuse me of being biased. They still do to Martin Brundle.”
Herbert’s comments point to a familiar fault line in F1: the fierce tribalism surrounding its biggest drivers, with criticism of a favourite often interpreted as outright hostility.
For Herbert, however, the accusations of an anti-Verstappen agenda are particularly misplaced.
‘Lewis is a Brit!’
The former F1 driver also pushed back against the suggestion that British broadcasters and pundits are inherently biased towards Lewis Hamilton, arguing that national allegiance and professional objectivity can coexist.
"They say, 'You're biased to Lewis Hamilton.' Well, we are British, and Lewis is a Brit! You're Dutch, and you support Max, and you're saying we're biased, but you want us to support Max,” he explained.
"Of course we are going to support a British driver but it's objective. We are wowed by the Flying Dutchman too. If England were playing Holland in football, of course I'm going to support England."
Herbert has since moved on from his FIA stewarding role, but his remarks underline just how combustible the Verstappen-Hamilton era became away from the track.
With the Dutchman commanding an intensely loyal global following and Hamilton retaining an enormous fanbase of his own, even an off-hand opinion can become ammunition in an increasingly tribal F1 debate.
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