Johnny Herbert has been dropped as a System 1 driver steward by the FIA after it was agreed that his position as a media pundit was “incompatible” with the place.
The three-time grand prix winner drove for groups together with Lotus, Benetton, Sauber and Stewart throughout an F1 profession that additionally yielded seven podiums from 160 begins. Since retiring in 2000, Herbert has gone onto change into a pundit and was a part of the Sky Sports activities line-up for a decade till the top of the 2022 season.
Nevertheless, having additionally served as a driver steward for the FIA — a program that makes use of former F1 drivers on a rotational foundation — Herbert got here beneath hearth from Jos Verstappen for feedback he made about Max Verstappen’s driving on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix final yr.
The Purple Bull driver was handed two separate 10-second time penalties for his strategy to a battle with Lando Norris, and Herbert was serving as a steward at that race and later voiced as opinion that he didn’t imagine the punishments would cease Verstappen taking an identical strategy in future.
These feedback led Verstappen’s father to inform Dutch media: “I feel a steward shouldn’t speak to the press in any respect and simply ship work on a regular basis. And that’s definitely not the case now.”
Whereas Herbert not too long ago urged he could be returning as a driver steward, maybe even for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the FIA has now acknowledged he won’t be retained as a result of his commitments to present his opinion as a pundit.
“It’s with remorse that we announce at the moment that Johnny Herbert will now not fulfill the place of F1 driver steward for the FIA,” an FIA spokesperson mentioned. “Johnny is extensively revered and introduced invaluable expertise and experience to his position.
“Nevertheless, after dialogue, it was mutually agreed that his duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit have been incompatible. We thank him for his service and need him effectively in his future endeavors.”
Herbert’s elimination follows that of the organizer of FIA world championships in america and senior steward Tim Mayer — who additionally served alongside Herbert as a steward in Mexico Metropolis final yr — who informed the BBC he was sacked by textual content message final yr for what the governing physique knowledgeable him was a battle of curiosity between his two positions.
