Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has been dropped as a steward by the FIA due to his work as a “media pundit”.
“It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of F1 driver steward for the FIA,” said the sport’s governing body in a brief statement.
“Johnny is widely respected and brought invaluable experience and expertise to his role,” it continued. “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.”
The Briton had previously been dropped by Sky at the end of 2022, having carried out his duties as a stewards alongside his work as a pundit for the broadcaster, but never on the same race weekend.
Herbert was one of the stewards on a number of controversial race weekends, not least last year’s Mexican Grand Prix which saw Max Verstappen penalised twice.
As a pundit for a betting company, Herbert subsequently commented on the penalties, later voicing his opinion on the Dutch driver’s clash with Oscar Piastri at the start of the Abu Dhabi season finale.
His comments led to widespread criticism online, and while stewards are always going to come in for some flack it was his comments as a pundit in relation to these events that left the FIA looking vulnerable at a time it was already under attack.
Even as a pundit, Herbert was never far from criticism, famously being put down by Fernando Alonso in 2016 when he doubted the Spaniard’s commitment and ability, urging him to retire.
“You ended up as a commentator, because you’re not a world champion,” the Spaniard subsequently told the Briton during a live broadcast.
The news comes at a time the FIA is looking to “professionalise” its stewarding, which is mostly carried out by volunteers, who are then left open to offers from betting companies and the like, especially if some well-chosen words might lead to a publicity boost for said company.
