Horner clear on Herbert's FIA exit: "Has absolutely nothing to do with Max"
Red Bull Contentpool
F1 News
- Nicole Mulder
Christian Horner believes the FIA made "absolutely the right decision" regarding Johnny Herbert's departure as steward for the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Red Bull Racing team boss also stressed that it had nothing to do with Max Verstappen, who was criticised by Herbert on several occasions.
Herbert's departure "has absolutely nothing to do with Verstappen"
The FIA announced on Wednesday that Herbert would be stepping down from his role as steward 'by mutual consent'. This is because, according to the governing body, his duties as an official and steward are not compatible with his presence in the media, in which he often expresses his opinion - for which he gets paid - about F1 drivers he is judging on weekends.
Horner has since responded to Herbert's departure: "Firstly, it has absolutely nothing to do with Max. But it's absolutely the right decision," the 51-year-old Briton told Sky Sports News. "You cannot have stewards working in the media. You don't have it in the Premier League, 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."
McLaren CEO Zak Brown thinks part of the problem could be solved by paying stewards for their work. Currently, it is still a voluntary function. "We're in a multi-billion-dollar sport, with a lot on the line. Stewarding is not easy. I think you need to have full-time stewards, and they need to be paid," he explained.
"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," Brown concludes.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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