Max Verstappen was in a “horrible mindset” and fully deserved the 20 seconds of penalties he received in the Mexico City Grand Prix after his “over-the-top” driving, says Johnny Herbert, who was one of the stewards judging the incident last weekend.

But the former British Grand Prix winner believes that the sanction will have no effect on Verstappen’s driving style, and that the reigning world champion will attack and defend just as aggressively at this weekend’s race in Sao Paulo; at a circuit that’s no stranger to track limit and overtaking wrangles.

“Those penalties in Mexico won’t stop Max Verstappen from pushing Lando Norris off the track in the future,” Herbert told sports betting firm Action Network. “I don’t see Verstappen’s driving changing because the number one goal is to stop Norris from closing the gap for the drivers’ championship. We potentially still have a lot of interesting racing coming our way.”

Herbert is a regular member of the rotating four-person stewards’ panel that rules on driving infractions during F1 races, putting him at the very centre of the drama in Mexico when Verstappen forced Norris off track as the McLaren driver attempted to overtake on the outside.

That left Norris ahead of the Red Bull driver who then lunged down the inside at speed, running off track and forcing Norris off with him. Two 10sec penalties — one for for each move — were issued by the stewards, which were served by Verstappen at his first pitstop.

“It’s the guidelines we followed, the teams agreed with our decisions,” said Herbert, who also dismissed accusations of ‘British bias’. “The right decision was made, the 20-second penalty for Verstappen was not harsh. Verstappen’s driving style was harsh, especially when he’s taking a fellow driver off the track. It’s an absolute no-no from me, current drivers, former drivers and stewards.

“The whole intention of Verstappen [in Mexico] was to try to let Ferrari get the one-two finish”

“The attitude in the stewards’ room was really good and our decision was clear because the guidelines tell us what to look at and how to deal with the situation. When we applied the two ten-second penalties to Max Verstappen, we were all in agreement. Always remember, there are four stewards who make these decisions.”

The Mexico City GP followed a contentious race in Austin where Norris had also been forced out wide while trying to overtake on the outside. No penalty was given. That incident triggered a move to revise current driving standards guidelines, which set expectations for drivers, including when they must leave space for others during overtaking attempts.

An updated set of guidelines, which clearly prohibit drivers from making aggressive defensive moves that take them off the track, are expected to be introduced in Qatar, but the penalties applied in Mexico show that stewards aren’t without powers in this area.

They will be under the microscope this weekend in Brazil, the scene of controversy in 2021 when Lewis Hamilton pulled alongside Max Verstappen on the straight leading up to Turn 4, then attempted to drive around the outside. Verstappen surged back ahead in the braking zone and ran wide, off track, forcing Hamilton with him. The Red Bull driver emerged ahead, and was not penalised — which caused some outcry.

While last weekend showed that stewards will now issue serious sanctions for similar moves, Herbert believes that it will have no effect on Verstappen, whose eyes are firmly on securing his third world championship.

“The whole intention of Verstappen [in Mexico] was to try to let Ferrari get the one-two finish,” said Herbert. “I think that’s definitely what Verstappen intended and tried to achieve, I understand why he did it but I don’t agree with it, I don’t think many people do.

“I am such a big fan of Verstappen and it frustrates me massively when he drives the way he did in Mexico. He doesn’t need to do it, he’s so good in the cockpit and at this point in the championship, he just needs to stay out of trouble and drive as well as possible.

“When Verstappen goes into this horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track so Ferrari can get the one-two, that where Verstappen needs to know he doesn’t have to do that. Just win in the cleanest possible way you can.”