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Red Bull and at least one other team complained to the FIA about Herbert
- Ludo van Denderen
A small smile could not be suppressed in the Verstappen household when it was announced this Wednesday morning that Johnny Herbert will no longer be a steward during Grand Prix weekends with immediate effect. But there was probably also some joy at at least two teams. Indeed, GPblog knows from its own research that at least two teams had complained about how Herbert profiled himself in the media.
The FIA announced with a short statement on Wednesday that Herbert will no longer be working as a steward for the governing body. The motorsport federation wrote: "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.”
The FIA was referring to Herbert's work for various betting sites, for which he sometimes harshly lashed out at drivers in interviews - regularly at Max Verstappen. Earlier, Jos Verstappen, Max's father, made it known that he could not find it acceptable for someone to act as a steward one moment, only to judge them in the media a moment later.
Teams complained about Herbert's interviews
GPblog has learned from well-informed sources that several F1 teams were also fed up with Herbert's dual role. This site knows that at least two teams have complained about Herbert to the FIA; Red Bull Racing and an unnamed team.
Incidentally, it is important to stress that the motorsport federation did not reach the decision about Herbert because teams expressed their dissatisfaction with the Briton. In the end, the decision to leave was made because of Herbert's interviews in the media.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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