Max Verstappen made little effort to celebrate with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc on the podium, claims Johnny Herbert.

And so, the former F1 driver and FIA steward hit out at Verstappen for what he saw as “unprofessional and disrespectful” behaviour.

Max Verstappen Saudi GP penalty: Harsh or fair?

Verstappen was given a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after cutting the Turn 1/2 chicane, he and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri having gone into the first braking zone battling for the lead, with Piastri taking the inside line and Verstappen heading through the run-off to re-join ahead.

Verstappen served those five seconds at his sole pit stop, and after finishing the Grand Prix 2.8 seconds behind Piastri, refused to share his thoughts on the FIA’s verdict, suggesting “people can’t handle the full truth”.

But what caught Herbert’s attention was, to his mind, a lack of will from Verstappen to celebrate with Piastri and P3 finisher Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari during the podium ceremony.

Verstappen took a gulp of the rosewater after the national anthems were played and trophies handed out, but did not engage in any of the traditional spraying with his fellow drivers on the podium.

That, to Herbert, was a show of disrespect.

“I saw Max Verstappen drink the champagne [sic] on the podium and didn’t really celebrate Oscar or Charles,” Herbert told Beste Online Casino Nederland.

“It comes across as unprofessional and disrespectful, from a four-time World Champion.

“You have to be gracious in defeat sometimes.”

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While Verstappen refrained from expressing his true opinion on the FIA’s penalty verdict, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner branded it “very harsh”, as came to speak with the media, including PlanetF1.com, post-race armed with a screenshot of Verstappen’s onboard, showing his left-front wheel slightly in front of Piastri’s right-front as they turned into Turn 1.

Herbert claimed there was a “strategy” behind Red Bull’s handling of the Verstappen and Piastri incident, but it was one that required the dominant Red Bull of yesteryear to pull off.

“Horner then came up with the picture of evidence to show who was in front in Turn 1, which was a load of baloney,” Herbert continued. “But to me, it was passing the buck to the FIA and the stewards.

“It’s wrong, it shouldn’t be like that. Red Bull had a chance to give the place back but they chose not to. Kimi Antonelli did something very similar with Charles Leclerc, same corner, same lap, but he gave the position back.

“If Verstappen had given the position back, he probably would have won the race, but instead, they took a risky strategy of trying to get the five-second penalty by being at the front with a clear track.

“If it was the speedy Red Bull car from two or three years ago, they would have probably gotten away with it, but the McLaren and Piastri were able to keep up.

“I’m not a fan of this rule, but because it’s deemed the first lap is harder to judge, the stewards will only use a five-second penalty due to litigated circumstances. I think it should always be the standard 10-second penalty. It should always be the same, if you move the rules around, then it opens a can of worms.

“They’re the best drivers in the world, they know where to brake and accelerate, he gained an advantage, full stop.

“People were saying the stewards should be telling Red Bull to give the position back to Piastri, but even if the race director did do that, then he’s influencing the race, and it looks bad on him and the FIA. It should only be down to the team and the driver to give back positions.”

Verstappen sits P3 in the Drivers’ Championship, 12 points behind Piastri who took over as the new leader thanks to his Saudi Arabian Grand Prix win.

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