Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert will no longer serve as a steward in the sport after the FIA and Herbert mutually agreed to end his tenure. The decision stems from Herbert's media work being deemed incompatible with the role. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that Max Verstappen was not involved in the decision.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has stated that Max Verstappen was not involved in Johnny Herbert 's departure as an F1 driver steward. The FIA , the sport's governing body, announced on Wednesday that they had 'mutually agreed' with Herbert that he would no longer be part of their pool of former drivers due to the 60-year-old's media work being 'incompatible' with the role of a steward.
Herbert had criticized Verstappen's driving in the previous October's Mexico City Grand Prix, in which Herbert was on the stewards' panel, during comments made to a betting website. These comments were met with disapproval from both the Dutch driver and his father, Jos, who responded through the media. Verstappen received two 10-second penalties during that Mexico race for collisions with McLaren title rival Lando Norris. Horner emphasized that this week's development was unrelated to his driver, while also agreeing with the FIA's decision to differentiate between the two roles. 'Firstly, it has absolutely nothing to do with Max. But it's absolutely the right decision,' Horner told Sky Sports News at the Autosport Awards. 'You cannot have stewards working in the media. 'You don't have it in the Premiership, you don't have it in any other form of professional sport. It's totally inappropriate. You're either on the sporting regulatory side or you're on the media side. 'You can't have a foot in both camps.' In his own statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday night, Herbert expressed that he had 'thoroughly enjoyed' his time as a steward and acknowledged it as a 'difficult job' requiring 'tough decisions…have to be made'. He added that stewards would continue to treat drivers and team personnel with 'the utmost respect and remain impartial'. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown believes the situation could be further improved by having paid full-time stewards. 'We're in a multi-billion-dollar sport, with a lot on the line,' Brown told Sky Sports News at the same event in London. 'Stewarding is not easy. I think you need to have full-time stewards, and they need to be paid. 'I also think we need to look at the rule book. I think it's a bit too prescriptive, and if you get some stewards in full time, give them a little bit more leniency. They know what's right and wrong.'
F1 Formula 1 Johnny Herbert FIA Steward Max Verstappen Red Bull Motorsport
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