Certain people” lobbied FIA to drop me over “bias

Johnny Herbert, who lost his role as an FIA steward last month, has said “certain people” lobbied the FIA over his dismissal.

Last year was Herbert’s 15th as an ex-driver representative to the stewards. The FIA said in a statement they and Herbert “mutually agreed that his duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible.”

Herbert acknowledged “I was an FIA steward and so it wasn’t deemed to be the right thing for a steward to be able to talk about situations that have happened or have an opinion even on situations that hadn’t happened over a particular race weekend.”

However Herbert believed his position was secure and was surprised to learn of the FIA’s decision to remove him from the position.

“It didn’t come from within the FIA initially,” the former Formula 1 driver told a website promoting a casino. “It was all to do with chitter chatter to the FIA that made them change their point of view.

“Everything I’d done all year long in 2024 had been discussed and accepted. Two days before I was eventually given the sack over the phone, I’d been told all was good for 2025. Then it wasn’t.

“I understand how everything came about. But I am not going to point the finger. But as I said, there were certain people who did actually speak with the president [of the FIA] and that’s why the president finally made that decision to get rid of me.”

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Although Herbert said he is “absolutely fine” with the decision now, he admitted “it was upsetting at the time because I enjoyed it, and I felt that I was doing the best job and with no bias towards anybody.”

Herbert rejected claims he favoured British drivers with his decisions. “I had rules and guidelines that I had to deal with, not on my own, but with three other FIA stewards as well,” he explained.

“I don’t think I was doing anything that was favouring anybody. I only did what I thought was necessary. If it was Lewis [Hamilton], if it was Max [Verstappen], if it was Lando [Norris], or any of the drivers on the racetrack.

“I had no bitterness towards any of those drivers to decide, ‘well, I don’t like him, so I’m going to give him a penalty just because.’ That’s not how it works, and it never will work like that.

“That’s where I felt that the way it was aimed at me, accusing me of bias, was absolutely ridiculous. But that’s where there has been this continual British bias talk for some reason, and I don’t get it.”

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Herbert was part of the FIA’s stewarding team at eight rounds last year including the Austrian and Mexican grands prix, which saw contentious incidents involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Verstappen was penalised on both occasions.

Herbert said Verstappen and his father Jos, who is also a former F1 driver, have accused him of bias.

“The Verstappens keep intimating there’s a bias,” he said. “I keep reading about the supposed bias. I read that and then wonder, ‘So I can’t support a British driver because I’m British?’

“I can’t support Lewis or George [Russell] or Lando. It’s ridiculous. But coming the other way is fine apparently as was the case in what happened with me.

“If you’re a Dutchman, you can sort of have a go at the Brits and say the Brits have got no real morals for how they are as race fans. It’s supposed to go both ways isn’t it.”