Herbert hits out at 'ridiculous' F1 double standard

Dismissed FIA steward Johnny Herbert feels there is a double standard in F1 pertaining to national bias surrounding drivers and broadcasters.

The former F1 driver, who competed in the championship from 1989 to 2000, has also regularly worked as a pundit since retiring from racing.

In January, news broke that the FIA had fired Herbert from his voluntary steward role, citing an incompatibility with his other work.

Towards the end of last season, the debate around supposed British bias in F1 came to the fore.

In particular, Max Verstappen and his camp were unhappy with how Sky Sports, the United Kingdom's F1 broadcaster, was covering the Red Bull driver.

Herbert, who has not worked for Sky since 2022, was also caught up in the dissatisfaction. Although, that was due to his simultaneous work as an F1 steward and pundit elsewhere. Those tensions are what ultimately cost him his job with the FIA.

However, the Briton has questioned why he cannot support his compatriots. The three-time grand prix winner has also explained that he was never biased in the stewards' room.

His comments suggest he believes there is a double standard between a supposed higher grade the British are held to in F1 and other nations, like the Dutch, as he uses for an example.

"The Verstappens keep intimating there's a bias," the 60-year-old told CasinoApps. "I keep reading about the supposed bias.

"I read that and then wondered, 'So I can't support a British driver because I'm British?'

"I can't support Lewis [Hamilton] or George [Russell] or Lando [Norris]. It's ridiculous. But coming the other way is fine apparently as was the case in what happened with me.

"If you're a Dutchman, you can sort of have a go at the Brits and say, 'The Brits have got no real morals for how they are as race fans'. It's supposed to go both ways, isn't it?"