Ex-FIA steward lifts lid on abuse; Most powerful team bosses in F1 – round-up

Henry Valantine 16 Aug 2026 8:04 PM

Johnny Herbert looks concerned as he bites his lip

Johnny Herbert will no longer serve as an FIA steward

Your Sunday F1 news is here, packed with not just the latest news, but plenty of opinion from our PlanetF1.com team as we get ready to go racing again.

After Formula 1’s summer hiatus, we will be able to call it race week once again from Monday but, for now, let’s take a look at the headlines from the world of Formula 1.

F1 news: Johnny Herbert details abuse after ‘bias’ accusations

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google for news you can trust

Three-time Grand Prix winner and former FIA steward, Johnny Herbert, went into detail about some of the abuse he received after accusations of bias in his direction.

He hit back at those accusations being “absolutely ridiculous” while undertaking his role as a driver steward on race weekends, a role which he no longer undertakes.

Who are the most powerful team bosses in Formula 1?

Team principals can all wield a significant amount of power behind the scenes in Formula 1, which stretches even beyond the confines of their own separate teams.

Meetings often take place looking to progress the wellbeing of the sport, but that doesn’t stop every team having its own agenda while wanting to work for the greater good.

Our editor, Mat Coch, has ranked the top five.

Read more: Most powerful team bosses in F1

Charles Leclerc defends Ferrari’s upgrade approach

Charles Leclerc says he trusts Fred Vasseur “more than anything”, with Toto Wolff having admitted surprise at just how much Ferrari has thrown at early-season upgrades.

Mercedes has been relatively tame by comparison in terms of development so far, while Ferrari has brought new parts to all but one of the races in 2026.

With the cost cap always in the background, Leclerc has thrown his backing behind his team principal.

Mercedes denied perfect score at summer break stage

Our final half-season review comes from yours truly, going through how Mercedes has performed in the first half of 2026.

While the Silver Arrows sit atop both tables and there is likely to be further improvement to come, the team has shown fallibilities of late – with its pair among five different winners in as many races before the summer break.

Of course, this is only one person’s opinion on how it has gone so far for them, but see if you agree.

Piastri urged to explore for better performance

Oscar Piastri is without a podium in the last seven races, and while wanting to avoid the dreaded tag of ‘number two driver’, former McLaren pilot Juan Pablo Montoya thinks sacrificing a weekend to experiment would be more fruitful than half a season of ‘average’ performances.

Lando Norris has seemed to have had the edge on the Australian in recent rounds, typified by the reigning champion’s victory in Hungary last time out.

There is still time to turn things around, but Montoya believes understanding the root of why Norris has been slightly faster will be more beneficial over time.

Mercedes Charles Leclerc FIA Oscar Piastri