Jos Verstappen, father of Max Verstappen, accuses the FIA stewards of bias following the decision to slap his son with a 20-second time penalty at the 2024 Mexico GP after his controversial driving against McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The drama kicked off on Lap 10 of the 71-lap race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez when the world champion defended from his title rival at Turn 4 by running him clean off the road as the Brit took evading action, before having to do the same just four corners later.
There, Verstappen threw his car up the inside in either a fit of rage or poorly judged move, and forced them both off circuit as he collected two 10-second time penalties for pushing Norris off and for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Anyone who has watched the 26-year-old since his 2015 debut will not exactly be shocked at this behaviour, with many feeling the penalty was justified whilst Zak Brown said it was too lenient, Jos accuses the stewards of being bias against Verstappen in their decision.
“The FIA should take a good look at the composition of the stewards,” Jos told Formule1.com. “Of whom is appointed there and whether there are conflicts of interest.
“For example former drivers who are more sympathetic to certain drivers or teams.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
The 52-year-old, who raced against Michael Schumacher in the 1990s, is likely referring to Johnny Herbert and Tim Mayer, who were both on the panel for the 71 laps of the 2024 Mexico GP.
Herbert is a British ex-F1 racer transitioned to punditry with Sky Sports F1 and previously called Verstappen’s driving out during his title fight with Lewis Hamilton in 2021 before he eventually left the media and joined the FIA stewarding team.
Whilst Mayer is the son of Teddy Mayer, who was one of the co-founders of the McLaren F1 team who are competing for both the drivers’ championship against Verstappen and the constructors’ championship against Red Bull and Ferrari.
Teddy co-founded the team along with his brother, Peter Revson and Bruce McLaren in 1963 and eventually assumed control following the death of the latter, serving as the managing director until being succeeded by Ron Dennis in 1981 after he sold his shares.
Both were part of the stewards team that handed Verstappen the 20-second penalty and took him categorically out of the fight for both the win and the podium as he lost 10 points to Norris in the 2024 F1 standings, despite recovering to sixth.
But this is not the first time the stewards have been questioned in relation to Red Bull championship bids. In 2021, Derek Warwick was one of the stewards who upheld Michael Masi’s actions at the Abu Dhabi GP despite owning a Honda dealership.
Honda were Red Bull’s engine supplier at the time, and his decision helped ensure Verstappen, who he previously called “the great white hope” – a phrase linked to racism in the United States – claimed his maiden F1 title.
There is no evidence Warwick was aware of the phrase at the time, nor acted in bad faith in Abu Dhabi.
Jos Verstappen says Max won’t change for stewards
Lots of people, including Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, hope that the 20-second penalty handed to Verstappen will finally see the end of his yield-or-crash approach to racing that has frustrated drivers such as Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel throughout the past.
However, Jos warned that he is not going to change his attitude based on the opinions of the stewards whilst Verstappen himself already hinted his 2024 Mexico GP was a success because Norris didn’t go on to win.
“You can speculate about it for a long time,” Jos added to Formule1.com. “But in the end it makes no difference.
“Max drives the way he wants anyway. He has to, because the car is just not good enough for now.
“He’s doing everything he can to win the title and he’s really not going to change his driving style just because there are a few stewards who don’t like him.”
