Max Verstappen‘s former critic and F1 steward Johnny Herbert is out at the FIA, and he’s taking the news pretty well.
“No hard feelings,” says Herbert, who’s grateful for his time with Formula 1’s governing body. The 60-year-old Brit was let go after giving paid interviews to betting sites while serving as a race official.
It’s a tricky situation that finally came to a head. While plenty of F1 analysts work with betting companies, Herbert was the only one who also wore the steward’s hat on race weekends.
The FIA had actually lined him up to oversee this year’s Australian Grand Prix. But they quickly changed course, deciding the conflict of interest was too big to ignore.
Herbert hasn’t been shy about sharing his opinions, especially when it comes to three-time world champion Max Verstappen. While he’s praised the Dutch driver’s talent, he’s also been pretty vocal about some controversial moments.
Take the Mexican Grand Prix, for example. Herbert was right in the middle of things as a steward when Verstappen had those two run-ins with Lando Norris. He helped decide on Verstappen’s penalties – then later commented about them in interviews.
“As stewards, we’ve always treated drivers and team personnel with total respect,” Herbert explained. “We stayed impartial during every Grand Prix weekend.”
This isn’t Herbert’s first high-profile exit recently. He previously parted ways with Sky Sports, where he’d been a familiar face in F1 coverage.
What’s next for the former F1 driver? That’s still up in the air, but with his decades of experience in the sport, he’s likely to pop up somewhere else soon.
