Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Max Verstappen had no role in Johnny Herbert’s exit as an F1 driver steward.

The FIA, the sport’s governing body, announced on Wednesday that they had “mutually agreed” with Herbert that he would no long feature in their pool of former drivers due to the 60-year-old’s work in the media being “incompatible” with that of a steward.

Through quotes given to a betting website in the 2024 season, Herbert criticised Verstappen’s driving in last October’s Mexico City Grand Prix – which the Briton had been on the stewards’ panel for – in comments which drew the ire of both the Dutch driver and his father, Jos, who hit back through the media.

Verstappen was handed two 10-second penalties by stewards in that Mexico race for clashes with McLaren title rival Lando Norris.

Horner said that this week’s development was unconnected to his driver, adding that he was nonetheless in agreement with the FIA’s move to draw a distinction between the two roles going forward.

“Firstly, it has absolutely nothing to do with Max. But it’s absolutely the right decision,” Horner told Sky Sports News at the Autosport Awards.

“You cannot have stewards working in the media.

“You don’t have it in the Premiership, you don’t have it in any other form of professional sport. It’s totally inappropriate. You’re either on the sporting regulatory side or you’re on the media side.

“You can’t have a foot in both camps.”

In his own statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday night, Herbert said he had “thoroughly enjoyed” the role of being a steward and that it was “difficult job” but “tough decisions…have to be made”. He added that stewards would continue to treat drivers and team personnel with “the utmost respect and remain impartial”.

Brown: Stewards should be full-time and paid

F1 stewarding and officiating proved a regular hot topic of debate in 2024 amid numerous controversial moments on the track.

In order to improve the situation for 2025, F1’s drivers held what was described as a “productive” meeting with FIA officials and stewards at the season’s penultimate round in Qatar aimed at clarifying the wording of the guidelines around wheel-to-wheel racing.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown believes the situation would be further helped if there were paid full-time stewards in place.

“We’re in a multi-billion-dollar sport, with a lot on the line,” Brown told Sky Sports News at the same event in London.

“Stewarding is not easy. I think you need to have full-time stewards, and they need to be paid.

“I also think we need to look at the rule book. I think it’s a bit too prescriptive, and if you get some stewards in full time, give them a little bit more leniency. They know what’s right and wrong.”

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