Zak Brown calls for an overhaul of F1’s steward system

Zak Brown stated that he would welcome the idea of having permanent race stewards at the FIA and would accept that McLaren contributes a percentage of their salary.

Currently, the F1 stewards are unpaid volunteers, who are only reimbursed for their travel expenses to oversee the races. This has led to calls for the employment of professional stewards to improve the consistency of their decision-making.

Read also: The FIA presents its plans for its new department of officials in F1

Zak Brown reacts on the subject

The president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is open to the idea of hiring permanent stewards, but raised the question of who should pay them, specifying that « [the drivers] do not want to pay for it ».

During the Autosport Business Exchange in London, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown stated that the responsibility should lie with the teams, as well as with the FIA and F1, to help fund these stewards, adding that it was important to have a body of professional stewards.

« The most important thing to do is to review the system of commissioners », declared Brown. « Having part-time and unpaid commissioners in a multi-billion dollar sport where everything is at stake to make the right decision… It’s a technical job and when it’s done well, no one says ‘good job.’ But I don’t think we’re ready to succeed without having full-time commissioners. »

Zak Brown specified that McLaren and all racing teams should contribute to funding this measure: « I am happy if McLaren and all racing teams contribute. It’s so important for the sport. »

Regarding funding, Zak Brown emphasized that it wouldn’t be a considerable expense if everyone contributes: « It won’t be too expensive if everyone participates. It’s not going to break the bank. »

Regarding the contract between the FIA and F1, he added: « If we have to pay for it, in the grand scheme of things, I don’t think it will represent a significant amount. »

McLaren won the constructors’ championship title last season for the first time in 26 years. Zak Brown quickly paid tribute to the work done by the team director, Andrea Stella. He revealed that he had asked Andrea Stella to take control of the team as early as 2019, but the latter felt the team was not ready yet.