FIA steward explains how money is main cause behind inconsistent decisions

Current FIA steward Johnny Herbert has explained why some incidents are viewed differently than others  – and ultimately it comes down to money.

Currently, F1 stewards rotate so while Herbert was present for races like Australia and Baku, he was not part of the team in Austin.

FIA stewards explain logic behind F1 decision makers

The role of stewarding is massively important in the world of F1, highlighted by the US Grand Prix, but despite being an integral part, the makeup of the stewards is relatively relaxed.

For a start, the members of the four-person steward panel changes race by race and Herbert told PlanetF1.com that was primarily due to money.

“Should there be one steward every single race? You can argue that or all four the same? Yes, you could argue that,” he exclusively told PlanetF1.com. “But it’s time. We don’t get paid [a lot] for it. We get $300 a day or something. So it’s very small.

“So that’s when it changes to a proper job. Where you’re committing to a season, to 20 or more races, for example. So it’s very, very different from that point of view.”

The makeup of the stewards was put under the microscope when Toto Wolff suggested there were “correlations” when certain members were present although the Mercedes boss refused to name names.

Herbert, though, defended the decision-making process and said that every steward is operating with a similar mindset.

“Whenever I’ve sat down with all the other stewards, we all seem to be in a very similar mindset from that point,” he said.

“Which I think is why the consistency seems to be probably at the best that it’s been and it’s hard to try and get the right ingredients together to keep that consistency there.

“We’re all from very different places, two of us Brits, but then a Brazilian and an Italian. And we all have different ways, sometimes, of dealing with certain situations. We seem to have a nice calm workforce that works very, very well.”

Herbert himself has been the focus of accusations of bias when he was part of a team that gave Fernando Alonso a penalty for dangerous driving. Alonso had previously accosted Herbert on TV and Herbert was accused of holding a grudge.

“A driver will always have his opinion,” Herbert said, recalling the Australian GP weekend. “And teams as well.

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“They all come in with their thoughts and explanations of what’s going on. Of course, that’s where we’ve got to try and work out what’s going on.

“Sometimes it’s not easy, sometimes it feels harsh but then there is the fairness, that consistency that has to come into play at the same time, and then they’re all so different, that’s the problem.

“Whenever you would try and put everything into a certain incident, it becomes one sort of category, but they’re still not the same within that one category, because they’re all different.

“Every single weekend, something’s different, and that’s where it’s got way more consistent. We all seem to be on the same wavelength which is where it’s working out really, really well at the moment. So I enjoy doing that.”

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This interview with Johnny Herbert was conducted via Genting Casino where fans have the chance can win a VIP experience for the Abu Dhabi GP. Click here for more details.