Well the FIA has indeed acted even if in an attempt to avoid all perception of bias, and Johnny Herbert has been removed form this season’s roster of race stewards. “It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of an F1 driver steward for the FIA,” […]
Well the FIA has indeed acted even if in an attempt to avoid all perception of bias, and Johnny Herbert has been removed form this season’s roster of race stewards. “It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of an F1 driver steward for the FIA,” the governing body said in a statement.
Next time out in Mexico, matters exploded as again Norris and Verstappen battled wheel to wheel. Norris was forced off the circuit while trying to pass Verstappen at Turn 4 on the 11th lap, but this time he appeared to have been ahead at the apex. Under the rules exploited by Verstaoppen the precious time out, this was not a violation of the rules of the McLaren driver.
Max Verstappen too was making headlines inside and outside the stewards room. Yet the biggest furore saw Lando Norris punished when battling with Max Verstappen whilst the view of paddock experts appeared to be that it was Max who pushed the limits too far.
Yet Herbert then failed to keep his hats as part time F1 pundit and steward separate as he went on to comment on Verstappen’s perceived mentality along with some schoolmasterly advice for the world champion.“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.
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“Was Verstappen’s driving style on the edge or over the top? Yes, it was. 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,” revealed the ex-F1 driver.
With Norris having claimed the apex, the tables were now turned. Maybe because they felt impotent in Austin, the stewards handed out a massive twenty second penalty for Verstappen, which of course ruined his already fading hopes of a podium.
“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.”
Verstappen knows the rulebook inside out
With Red Bull the energy drinks company buying the ailing Jaguar F1 programme in 2004, the Red Bull racing team was formed and first competed during the 2005 season. Come 2010 and an FIA regulation change, Newey and the design team in Milton Keynes hit their marks and delivered four consecutive team and driver titles between 2010-2013.
Under the current guidelines, so long as Verstappen had earned the “right” to the corner, he himself cold leave the track even whilst under attack, without a penalty. This he did and took Norris with him, but under the 2023 guidelines this was merely clever racing and knowing the rules better than the rest.
As the ink on the published interview was still drying, Jos Verstappen waded in accusing the FIA of allowing bias and a conflict of interest amongst their race stewards. “The FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest.
However, this brought into sharp focus the annual stewarding driving standards advice document issued by the FIA, but for their eyes only. The consensus amongst drivers and pundits alike was that it needed a relook, before the 2025 version was published.
Savvy as Verstappen is, he braked later than Norris and was adjudicated to have reached the apex of the turn first. This in the stewarding guidelines gave the world champion the right to the corner, which included running his challenger on th outside out of room and onto the run off area.
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By way of contrast, Ben Sulayem is the first non-F1 person to be elected as head of the FIA since the much disliked Frenchman and nemesis of Ayrton Senna, John-Marie Balestre. This fact alone has made his tenure more difficult than his predecessor Jean Todt, who preceded over the most successful period in Ferrari’s history.
“Johnny is widely respected and brought invaluable experience and expertise to the role. However, after discussion, it was mutually agreed that his duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible. We thank him for this service and wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Stewarding too was contentious in 2024, with numerous penalties being awarded for various failures in driving standards and for Kevin Magnussen it meant he was forced to miss the Singapore Grand Prix having racked up too many penalties in twelve months.
Herbert refused and of course was indeed the driver steward who interprets the precise actions of the drivers to the non-racing F1 policemen in the room. It was in fact the harsh nature of the twenty seconds penalty for Verstappen which became problematic, as even those in the paddock who questioned Max’s behaviour in Texas, felt the punishment in Mexico did not fit the crime.
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Stefano Domenicali who runs the commercial interests of the sport for Liberty Media, is of course a well known F1 figure. He was the last team principal when Ferrari won an F1 world constructors’ title the season Lewis Hamilton claimed his maiden drivers’ championship.
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The came the biggest of errors form Herbert, who made a lame attempt at explaining how the stewards treated the various misdemeanours of the drivers. Speaking with Action Network he stated: “It’s the guidelines we followed, the teams agreed with our decisions. The right decision was made, the 20-second penalty for Max Verstappen was not harsh.
Herbert was due to officiate down under in Australia, though his replacement at present is unclear. That said there are plenty of FIA members who will be happy to perform the grace and favour duties required by the FIA, with Martin Connelly, Derek Warwick or Emanuele Pirro most likely to replace Herbert as a former F1 driver in the stewarding team.
“From former drivers, for example, who have more sympathy for certain drivers or [teams].”
The doors of the FIA headquarters in the Place de Concorde in Paris has in recent times become something of a revolving door. Mohammed Ben Sulayem since his arrival as president of F1’s governing body has burned through three F1 race directors and a host of other senior staffers as rumours persist surrounding his negative leadership style.
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Prior to the Mexican Grand Prix, Jos Verstappen had called out stewarding bias by the British media and suggested ex-F1 Sky presenter and steward Johnny Herbert should recuse himself form his upcoming duties in Mexico City.
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The rally driving Emerarti inherited something of a financial mess when elected as president of the FI in 2021, much of which snow resolved. Yet his apparent desire to be front and central in all things F1 have led experienced commentators to suggest he is concerned about the limelight the CEO of F1 appointed by Liberty Media, receives.
Lando remained ahead having rejoined the circuit but was again forced off the road by Verstappen who made wild lunge to reclaim the place at turn 8. “This guy is dangerous,” Norris reported over team radio. “I just had to avoid a crash. It’s the same as last time.”
F1 race control and stewarding have been hot topics since Ben Sulayem was elected and last year was no exception. With just three races remaining, race director Neils Wittich was sacked and replaced by Rui Marques who had the unenviable task of stepping in at such short notice.
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In Austin, Texas matters came tons head when Verstappen and Norris were battling each other for lap after lap.The McLaren driver finally made the pass on his Red Bull rival at the end of the long back straight as turn 12 approached.
A frustrated Norris chose to keep his foot in and completed the overtake of the Red Bull off track. This earned him a ten second time penalty from the stewards which cost Lando dear, as he eventually trailed home just one second behind his Red Bull rival in fourth place.
Having battled tooth and nail to win the 2021 drivers’ title with Max Verstappen against Lewis Hamilton in a superior Mercedes F1 car, Red Bull looked to be entering another golden era like their first with Sebastian Vettel.
This should have been the end of the matter, yet one steward in particular chose to go public with his views on Verstappen’s driving standards and alleged Machiavellian intentions.
