The use of stewards in Formula 1 has never been without controversy, but the latest outcry at the sacking of Johnny Herbert has again brought the FIA’s system of officiating into doubt. Herbert, a veteran Sky Sports F1 commentator and ex-F1 driver, was let go as a steward on January 29, 2024, following a sequence of different decisions, with many left wondering about the FIA’s method of race control and officiating.
Yet the problem goes far beyond Herbert himself. His resignation is merely one symptom of a deeper structural problem in F1’s stewarding system, which has been criticized for decades as inconsistent, secretive, and questionable in its decisions.
The Johnny Herbert Case: Controversy and Criticism
Johnny Herbert (60) had served as an FIA steward for a number of years, in addition to continuing to work in the media. His two roles brought about accusations of lack of impartiality, with some accusing him of being lenient on certain teams and drivers.
The tipping point could have been at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Herbert gave two 10-second penalties to Max Verstappen following aggressive on-track actions. The call was greeted with much criticism, especially from Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen—a former F1 driver himself—who made his displeasure at the calls known publicly. The controversy surrounding these penalties added to the perception that Herbert’s calls were either inconsistent or subjective.
Adding fuel to controversy, Herbert defended his calls afterward in articles published by Casino, a media outlet, in which he rejected pro-British bias and insisted his calls were impartial. However, his public defense of previous stewarding calls only increased scrutiny of the FIA’s system.
FIA’s Official Statement and Herbert’s Dismissal
The FIA made Herbert’s termination official in a January 29, 2024, statement:
“It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfil the position of F1 driver steward for the FIA. Johnny is widely respected and brought invaluable experience and expertise to his role. However, after discussion, it was mutually agreed that his duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible.”
Herbert has already been announced as a Global Brand Ambassador for Lola Cars, prior to their Formula E comeback, which will be the new chapter in his life after stewarding.
The Bigger Problem: FIA’s Stewarding System
Although Herbert’s exit is news, the underlying problem – the FIA stewarding system as a whole – is not yet solved. Unlike other major sports in which referees are drawn from a professionalized, regular group, F1’s stewarding system works on a rotational roster of officials. The four-man team at each race is made up of:
- Two experienced FIA officials
- One representative from the local automobile club
- One former racing driver
This is unknown in other sports, and although there is racing experience from an ex-driver, variable staffing results in different interpretations of racing incidents from event to event.
In F1, though, the rules can be interpreted differently by different stewards, with the result being inconsistent penalties and controversy. Just such controversy occurred in the Brazil GP.
To add fuel to the fire, F1 stewarding decisions are not necessarily always data-driven, due to fast decision making, even though the sport produces enormous amounts of real-time data per second. The lack of consistency in decisions is thus even more frustrating, as it implies that subjective interpretation is a larger factor than objective analysis.
Calls for Permanent Stewards and FIA Defiance
Others in the paddock, such as McLaren and the other teams, have called for a permanent stewarding panel to be paid for by all the teams collectively so as to have consistent, unbiased decisions.
However, this notion has been dismissed by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem on logistical and financial grounds. Considering that F1 is one of the most lucrative sports globally, this reasoning seems dubious and begs questions about whether stability in race control is a top agenda for FIA.
F1 Stewarding Repair: How the FIA Can Learn from Other Sports
In order to actually sort out F1 refereeing’s fundamental issues, the FIA should maybe look at how other sports deal with refereeing and implement what they can into Formula 1. A few of the world’s biggest sporting leagues use similar systems for ensuring fairness, transparency, and consistency, which F1 has not had for decades. This is what F1 can change by learning from other sports.
1. Permanent And Professional Stewards
One of the worst flaws in F1’s system of stewards is that it uses a roster of officials on a rotating panel. Since the roster of stewards changes with each event, the same things can be construed differently depending on who is working that weekend. This lack of consistency creates controversy and anger for teams, drivers, and spectators. This is in contrast to the majority of other sports, which employ full-time, permanent referees so that rulings will be made equally. For example:
- The Premier League and Champions League employ standard referees who venture out and rule on games, consistent in enforcing the rules throughout the season.
- The NBA employs full-time officials who train and are constantly assessed continually so that they will improve and enforce rules alike.
If F1 were to start adopting a core team of full-time stewards, they would be able to develop a clear policy on the enforcement of rules. This would remove the arbitrariness of penalties, making race control more equitable and consistent.
2. Data-Driven Decisions
F1 is one of the most technologically advanced sports in the world, generating a lot of data every second. Cars constantly feed back information about speed, braking, throttle input, GPS position, and telemetry, yet steward decisions are still mostly a matter of human interpretation rather than objective data analysis. Other sports already use technology to eliminate human factors:
- Hawk-Eye in tennis determines a ball is in or out with unerring accuracy.
- Football’s goal-line technology ensures that referees don’t have to guess whether the ball crossed the line or not.
F1 could improve its officiating by using more viewer visible telemetry, analysis assisted by may be even AI, and live GPS tracking to determine incidents more reliably. Issuing penalties with more specific reasoning, leading to faster, fairer, and more consistent decisions. Which would be a big difference to the current decisions that are often made three to five laps later.
3. Refrain from Conflicts of Interest
One of the most controversial aspects of F1 refereeing is that some stewards had past connections with teams or media, so they may approach the roles with a biased attitude. Johnny Herbert’s dual role as an FIA steward and TV commentator led to accusations that he favored specific drivers and teams before he was dismissed. Other sports have strong safeguards against conflict of interest:
- UEFA and FIFA prohibit referees from officiating games for teams they previously played for, coached, or had worked with.
- The NBA prohibits referees from providing comments on games in the public domain or personal comments regarding their calls.
The FIA must impose stricter independence regulations to ensure stewards do not have professional, financial, or personal connections that can influence their decision-making. This will improve confidence in the system and make sure that events like Herbert’s do not happen again.
4. A Clear and Quick Appeals Process
One of the most frustrating aspects of F1 refereeing is the lack of an immediate appeals procedure. When the teams disagree with a penalty, they normally have to wait until after the race to lodge an appeal against the ruling. In some cases, the results are altered several hours later, which is frustrating for viewers and damages the standing of race control.
F1 could implement a live appeals system where teams can appeal a penalty on the spot during the race. The stewards would need to examine all the relevant data—telemetry, on-board cameras, GPS position—before deciding to uphold or overturn the decision. This would prevent post-race theatrics and determine results on the track, not hours later.
Conclusion: F1 Needs to Evolve
Johnny Herbert’s resignation is not the actual issue—it is just one symptom of an inefficient stewarding system that has been condemned for decades. If F1 refuses to update its refereeing, such controversies will keep happening and tarnish the sport’s fairness and credibility.
Other big sports have already done this with their refereeing system—it’s Formula 1’s turn now. If this doesn’t happen, controversy will still dominate the racing, undermining faith in the FIA and the sport itself.