Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert won’t be serving as an FIA steward at the Australian Grand Prix after parting ways with racing’s governing body.
Racing expert Peter Windsor thinks having ex-drivers as stewards is actually a great idea – but there’s a catch.
“Having a driver as one of the stewards is a good one, but you’ve got to be quite selective,” Windsor explained during a recent appearance on Cameron Cc.
The big problem? Money and clear expectations.
Right now, stewards basically just get their expenses covered. For successful former drivers who can make good money elsewhere, that’s not exactly attractive.
“Most of these guys are pretty high earners, and their time is quite valuable,” Windsor said. “If you want to have them doing something properly in a very professional way, you got to pay them.”
He thinks the FIA needs to set clear ground rules from the start.
The biggest issue is mixing steward duties with other roles like TV commentary or working with betting companies. You can’t do both, according to Windsor.
“You’ve got to be down the middle, you’ve got to be objective and you got to be very ‘with the rule book,'” he explained.
While Windsor didn’t criticize Herbert directly, he pointed out that stewards can’t be sharing opinions about current drivers and then expect to be taken seriously in their official role.
“That’s pretty logical to me,” Windsor said. “But again, you have to blame the FIA in a way for not making that pretty clear from day one.”
The situation highlights a growing challenge for the FIA: how to maintain professional standards while bringing valuable racing experience to the stewards’ room.
