F1 News
FIA ignores Jos Verstappen's appeal: Herbert is a steward at Brazilian GP
- Ludo van Denderen
The FIA has so far ignored the criticism of Johnny Herbert, the steward who has come under fire for allegedly being biased against Max Verstappen. The former British F1 driver was one of the stewards in Singapore and Mexico who punished Verstappen and gave hefty penalties. He has been appointed a steward for this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix. Herbert defended the allegations and explained how there couldn't be British bias because there is a group of stewards from around the world.
Herbert was part of the stewards who gave Verstappen a ten-second penalty in Mexico, whereas a similar set of stewards handed out Lando Norris a five-second penalty for a similar incident. Jos Verstappen, among others, called for a change. "The FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest. From former drivers, for example, who have more sympathy for certain drivers."
Without directly mentioning his name, Verstappen senior was referring, among others, to Herbert, who, like Norris, is from Britain. Verstappen suggests Herbert can directly influence the outcome of the world championship and can, therefore, favour his compatriot in his decisions.
Herbert denies allegations
In an interview with an online betting company, Herbert revealed that there is no question of bias. "There always seems to be an issue about us British stewards being ‘biased’, but when we’re in that room, we abide by the rules and guidelines from the FIA. That is how we have to judge the racing on the track. To say it’s ‘biased’ is absolutely ridiculous and not the case. We try as hard as possible to be fair in our judgement. In Mexico, the stewards other than me were American, Belgian and Brazilian, all who have the same powers as each other. To say there’s bias is ridiculous," Herbert said.
In any case, the FIA apparently sees no reason to intervene either, as Herbert is one of the stewards for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Former F1 driver Luciano Burti will also be a steward.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton