"How the hell can a steward have this opinion": Fans furious at FIA steward for 'Lewis Hamilton winning the title would be a perfect scenario' remark

F1 steward Johnny Herbert's prediction on Lewis Hamilton's debut year with Ferrari has drawn strong reactions from the fans on social media. Herbert said that Hamilton winning his eighth championship with the Italian team would be a perfect scenario for F1.

Hamilton is now a Ferrari driver in what turned out to be a historic driver transfer. After 11 years, he parted ways with Mercedes to move to Italy instead. On January 20, he arrived in Maranello for his formal induction and participated in a test run at the Fiorano track on January 22.

A large section of fans, meanwhile, were overjoyed to see the seven-time world champion in red overalls. Several F1 fans have huge expectations for the British driver's debut year with Tifoso.

Johnny Herbert, an FIA steward, recently made an interesting statement, predicting Hamilton to win a title with Ferrari. Speaking via Motorcylesports.net, he said:

"I think Lewis Hamilton winning the championship this year would be the perfect scenario. He’s in Ferrari now—arguably the most iconic team in motorsport—and seeing him achieve that record-breaking eighth title would be nothing short of historic."

However, his comments didn't sit well with fans, as many feared Herbert's bias towards Hamilton.

"How the hell can a steward have this opinion. Surely should impartial. Makes you wonder if it gets to end of season and it's LH vs whoever for title if he's capable of making an unbiased decision. After what I saw last season from him then there's no chance he can," a fan said.

"Does this mean the fixed FIA is going to make sure it happens? Are all of Lewis’ accomplishments with Ferrari already in doubt?" another fan wondered.

"Reminder that herbert is a fia steward. I don't think he should be publicly stating that he wants a specific driver to win the WDC at all given his position," a user commented.

A few fans also suggested that as an FIA steward, he is not allowed to publicly voice support towards a certain driver.

"To be honest I’ve always questioned the stewarding structure. Vested interests everywhere. That goes right to the top too. You have to trust that everything is above board," a fan commented.

"Johnny's steward now? Sweet," another user commented.

"he is a steward...he is the last person having a say in it! now we all know he will do anything to give others silly penalties but him! and yes...thats how it works," a user claimed.

Johnny Herbert previously landed in a controversy when he deemed Max Verstappen's driving dangerous and called him out for his aggressive racing. Moreover, Verstappen received many penalties when Herbert was on the stewarding panel during the 2024 season, which further raised questions on alleged bias.

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Martin Brundle backs Lewis Hamilton to win the championship with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton at Grand Prix of Bahrain (Image Source: Getty)

Before Johnny Herbert, F1 analyst Martin Brundle also backed Lewis Hamilton to win his record-breaking eighth championship with Scuderia Ferrari. Talking to Sky Sports F1, he said:

"I have no doubt that if Ferrari has a race-winning car or a championship-winning car, then Lewis can win races and even the championship."

Hamilton last won a championship in 2020 when he equaled Michael Schumacher's record of winning the most titles in F1. Moreover, in 2021, he missed his eighth title by a whisker as Max Verstappen beat him on the last lap of the title-deciding race in Abu Dhabi to clinch his maiden title.

At 40, Lewis Hamilton took a major leap of faith to test his luck with Ferrari, and fans as well as critics have high expectations from this union.