Herbert reacts to FIA exit for first time: 'Always remained impartial'
F1 News
- Nicole Mulder
Johnny Herbert has commented for the first time on his exit from the FIA. The governing body decided to part ways with the former Formula 1 driver as steward due to conflicts of interest. As for Herbert, there are 'no hard feelings': he is especially grateful to the FIA for the opportunities he has been given.
Herbert reacts to FIA exit as steward
"I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a driver steward for the FIA and I have enjoyed the role immensely over the past few years. It is a difficult job and difficult decisions have to be made," the former F1 driver wrote in a post on Instagram.
He continued: "As stewards, we have treated both drivers and team personnel with the utmost respect and will always do so, while remaining impartial at all times during all Grand Prix weekends."
"Finally, I am very grateful to the president and everyone at the FIA for the opportunities I have been given," the 60-year-old Briton concluded. It is not yet clear what lies ahead for Herbert, who previously parted ways with Sky Sports.
In the past year, Herbert increasingly came under scrutiny in his role as steward. Indeed, he regularly expressed his unvarnished opinion through paid interviews for betting sites. Herbert is certainly not the only analyst who did so, but the only one who did so in combination with his role as an FIA official. After initially confirming Herbert as one of the stewards for the first Formula One race of the year, the Australian Grand Prix, the governing body announced it was parting with him as steward after all.
On several occasions, Herbert spoke very critically of Max Verstappen. Although he also praised the Red Bull Racing driver for his skills, he had a clear opinion about his role in certain incidents, such as in the two moments the Dutchman had with Lando Norris in the Mexican Grand Prix, incidents where Herbert, as a steward, was involved in deciding on the penalties Verstappen received.
Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels too!