Johnny Herbert's release from FIA stewardship draws reaction from $30M worth former F1 champion

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill defended his fellow Brit and former F1 driver Johnny Herbert after the latter was let go of his duties as an FIA steward. The 60-year-old had driven at the pinnacle of motorsport predominantly in the 1990s, racing for teams like Benetton, Stewart, and Jaguar, among others. He has three race wins from 98 starts to his name.

The Brit ended his career in 2000 and went to Endurance Racing. He even won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2002, after his triumph with Mazda in the 1991 Le Mans.

Herbert joined the Sky Sports team in 2012 as a pundit and remained in his role until the end of the 2022 season. After leaving the broadcaster, he worked as a pundit for multiple other broadcasters and even served as an FIA steward on race weekends.

However, in a statement released by the sport's governing body, FIA, on Instagram, they announced that Johnny Herbert would leave his role as a steward due to his conflicting duties as a pundit. It said:

“It is with regret that we announce today that Johnny Herbert will no longer fulfill 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. We thank him for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors."

Former Williams F1 driver Damon Hill, who has a net worth of $30 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth), gave his reaction to Johnny Herbert losing his job as a FIA steward on his Instagram story. He wrote:

"Johnny was always going to say the right thing,"

Snapshot of Damon Hill's reaction to FIA's post. Credits- Instagram (@96f1champ)

Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert were colleagues on and off the track, as they also worked as pundits at Sky Sports for almost a decade.

Johnny Herbert gives his reaction to leaving his role as an FIA Steward

Former F1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert stated that he was grateful for the opportunity of serving as an FIA steward for the past couple of years. On his Instagram, the Brit released a personal statement which read:

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity of being an FIA Driver Steward and I have thoroughly enjoyed the role I have been involved in over the years. It is a difficult job and there are tough decisions that have to be made.

“As Stewards, we have and will continue to treat both drivers and team personnel with the utmost respect and remain impartial at all times during all F1 Grand Prix weekends. Finally, I’m very grateful to the President and everyone at the FIA for the opportunities I have been given."

Herbert previously made some controversial decisions as a steward during the 2024 season, including giving a 20s time penalty to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen during the Mexican Grand Prix.