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Formula 1 has recently undergone a significant change in its stewarding line-up. The former driver with an impressive 160 appearances in the premier class of motoring will no longer be a steward during race weekends. The reason? His media activities, especially his involvement in the world of sports betting, were deemed incompatible with the role of referee. The motoring umbrella organization said:
"Johnny is highly regarded and brings invaluable experience and expertise to his role. However, following discussion, it was jointly concluded that his duties as an FIA referee and media analyst are not compatible."
Conflict of interest in the spotlight
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, who frequently engaged in verbal duels with the 59-year-old former driver over Max Verstappen last season, supported the decision.
"First of all, Max has nothing to do with this decision, but it is absolutely the right one," Horner told Sky Sports F1 during the Autosport Awards in the British capital.
"You can't have stewards working in the media at the same time. That doesn't exist in the Premier League, or in any other professional sport. It's completely inappropriate."
The experienced steward previously defended his dual involvement:
"I'm Johnny Herbert, a steward and professional during the race weekend, and in other situations an analyst who expresses his opinion. When I talk to people on Monday or Tuesday, it's outside of my refereeing duties."
An interesting point of view was also expressed by the executive director of McLaren. Zak Brown believes that the current system is not sustainable for a multi-billion dollar sport.
"Having casual, unpaid referees in a sport where every decision is crucial is not a recipe for success," Brown stressed at a business conference in London.
These situations are really interesting and specific for many reasons. Herbert is a well-known name in the world of F1, and these situations are really interesting to say the least.
English (US)