Johnny Herbert loses F1 job after supporter concerns heading into new season
Johnny Herbert loses F1 job after supporter concerns heading into new season
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Johnny Herbert has been removed from his role as a Formula 1 steward, the FIA has confirmed. Herbert, a former F1 racer and Sky Sports pundit, acted as a steward at many races last season. And last week he confirmed that he was due to reprise that role at the opening race of the new season, the Australian Grand Prix, in March.
However, that will no longer be the case. On Wednesday, the FIA released a statement in which it confirmed that Herbert had been removed from its pool of rotating stewards, citing a conflict of interest with the Brit's punditry work. The statement read: "It is with regret that we announced today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of F1 drivers 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 with him well in his future endeavours.". Herbert has long been a familiar face to F1 fans, first as a driver who started 160 races and won three, and then as a pundit for British broadcaster Sky Sports for many years. However, he was unceremoniously axed from the latter role after the 2022 season.
Since then, his media work has largely involved working with betting sites, giving his opinions on the big F1 topics of the day. It was through that work that questions were raised last season about Herbert's impartiality in his stewarding role, given his public criticism of some drivers.
