Johnny Herbert has left his role as an FIA steward and the Verstappen family will be pleased.
The three-time Formula 1 race-winner has been a regular in the paddock ever since entering the sport, but his dual roles as a pundit and steward have come to a close.
In a statement, F1’s governing body said: “It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of F1 driver steward for the FIA.
“Johnny is widely respected and brought invaluable experience and expertise to his 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 his service and wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Up until the 2024 season the 60-year-old regularly worked as a pundit for Sky Sports before departing.
Yet his comments in the media with other outlets riled up some important individuals, namely Max Verstappen’s father Jos.
In October last year the Dutchman was criticised and penalised like never before as he twice pushed Lando Norris off the track at the start of the Mexico Grand Prix.
Norris was challenging for the title at the time, and the second move was called ‘dangerous’ by the Brit with McLaren CEO saying it was ‘ridiculous’.
A steward at the time, Herbert was part of the team that dealt out two ten-second penalties to Verstappen, and he later explained the call to the media.
“The right decision was made, the 20-second penalty for Max Verstappen was not harsh,” he told Action Network. “Was Verstappen’s driving style on the edge or over the top? Yes, it was.
@FIAThe FIA published the news across their social channels[/caption]
F1Verstappen was roundly panned for his Mexico move, but Herbert doing so as a steward didn’t go down well with his father[/caption]
“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.
“I am such a big fan of Verstappen and it frustrates me massively when he drives the way he did in Mexico.
“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 is where Verstappen needs to know he doesn’t have to do that. Just win in the cleanest possible way you can.
“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.”
In reaction to the comments, Jos Verstappen gave an interview with Dutch outlet De Telegraaf where he criticised stewards, with the outlet claiming he was alluding to Herbert.
“If you look at Sunday’s actions, Max’s second moment may have been a bit too much, but he is letting this get over him,” Jos said.
“You can start talking about it for a very long time, but it makes no difference anyway. Max has to drive the way he wants.
“He has to do this because the car is not good enough and he is doing everything he can to win the title.
“But Max is not going to change his driving style because there were a couple of stewards present now who don’t like him anyway.
“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.
“From former drivers, for example, who have more sympathy for certain drivers.”
Later responding to those words, Herbert added: “As I have always said, I am Johnny Herbert the steward and the professional during a race weekend, and Johnny Herbert a pundit at other times who expresses what he thinks.
“The racetrack has been my world for 50 years. If I don’t quite agree with what I see on the racetrack, I will say so. It is not just Max. I’ll criticise anyone if I feel it is warranted.
“I understand it from Jos’s point of view because it is his son. Is there any bias? No, of course not. I wasn’t the only one to think that Max was over the top in Mexico. Lando Norris and Zak Brown thought so too.”
