Johnny Herbert has been removed as a Formula 1 steward by the governing body, FIA, due to his clashing commitment as a media pundit, Afrosport reports.
The removal of the three-time F1 race winner was confirmed by the FIA confirmed on Wednesday, stating he had “mutually agreed” to step down from his position as his dual role as a steward and pundit were “incompatible”.
Herbert has been a regular F1 steward since 2010 and had confirmed a few days ago that he would continue for the 2025 season.
“It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of F1 driver steward for the FIA,” the FIA statement read.
“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.”
It is with regret that we announce that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of F1 driver steward for the FIA#FIA pic.twitter.com/e6CTWtAWJZ
— FIA (@fia) January 29, 2025
Johnny Herbert had been carrying out pundit roles alongside being a steward and regularly shared his opinions in interviews.
The 60-year-old Brit came under fire for his comments about Max Verstappen’s driving style after the four-time world champion received a 20-second time penalty at last season’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen and his father Jos were critical of the 60-year-old talking to the media after carrying out his stewards duties.
Herbert recently said ahead of the 2025 season: “There are still going to be incidents [in Australia], there are still going to be complaints from teams and drivers and we’re going to have to deal with that as normal.”
