Christian Horner supports Johnny Herbert’s retirement as F1 commissioner
Johnny Herbert is stepping down from his role as F1 commissioner, due to a conflict of interest between his media activities and his role in the organization. A decision supported by the FIA and Christian Horner.
The FIA announced this week the end of its collaboration with Johnny Herbert as a Formula 1 race steward. A decision that has sparked numerous reactions. A former driver who participated in 160 Grand Prix, Herbert had been involved since 2010 as a drivers’ representative on the stewards’ committees. The main reason cited by the organization is the potential conflict of interest between the ex-driver’s media activities and his role on the stewards’ committees. The FIA deemed it no longer possible to maintain this duality, marking the end of a multi-year collaboration. “Johnny is highly respected and brings invaluable experience and expertise to his role,” the governing body emphasized in a statement.
Christian Horner defends the FIA’s decision
A decision that Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, fully supports. “You cannot have stewards working in the media. It’s totally inappropriate,” he stated at the AutoSport Awards in London. “You are either on the side of the sport, the regulation, or the media. You can’t have a foot in both camps.” This support is all the more notable as it follows several conflicts between Herbert and the Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen, last year. Horner, however, rejected any notion that Verstappen influenced the FIA’s decision, stating: “This has absolutely nothing to do with Max, but it is absolutely the right decision.”
The dual role of Johnny Herbert has also been criticized by some influential figures in motorsport. Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, expressed his disapproval by stating that a steward should not speak to the press at all. Nevertheless, Herbert defended his media activities, believing there was a clear separation between his roles: “I am Johnny Herbert the steward and the professional during a race weekend and Johnny Herbert the commentator at other times,” he stated last November.
The debate about full-time commissioners
The departure of Johnny Herbert highlights a broader debate regarding the role of stewards in Formula 1. Many figures in the motorsport world, including Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, advocate for better-paid and more invested stewards. According to him: « Having part-time, unpaid stewards in a multibillion-dollar sport where everything is at stake to make the right decision… I don’t think we are ready to succeed if we don’t have full-time stewards. ». Brown believes that permanent stewards could also allow for a more flexible interpretation of the rules, particularly in complex situations like those observed during the clashes between Verstappen and Lando Norris, in Austin and Mexico.
Zak Brown ready to contribute to marshals’ salaries
One of the major problems in finding marshals and race officials in F1 who remain constant from one Grand Prix to another is the remuneration. Indeed, the FIA compensates the marshals very little, so Johnny Herbert could not do this job full-time and also held a role as a commentator and journalist for television.
Zak Brown recently stated that if teams needed to dip into their pockets to help fairly compensate stewards, it would be reasonable to do so: « It won’t be that expensive if everyone pitches in. It’s not going to break the bank. ».
Bringing stability to the rotation of commissioners will allow for more consistency in the decisions made as the season progresses.
