Steward banned for Canadian GP over Verstappen remarks
Formula 1's governing body has suspended a driver steward for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix over comments he made regarding a recent penalty received by Max Verstappen.
The FIA said on Friday that Derek Warwick's comments were not authorised and he will be replaced by Enrique Bernoldi, who will officiate from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva for the remainder of the weekend.
"After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologised," the FIA said in a statement. "Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix."
Verstappen received a three-point penalty for running George Russell off track at the Spanish Grand Prix. The penalty put the four-time reigning F1 champion just one point away from an automatic one-race suspension.
Warwick did an interview with a gambling publication in which he defended the penalty levied to Verstappen as the "perfect" punishment because the Dutchman was "absolutely wrong" in the contact with Russell.
It is the second time this year the FIA has penalised a race steward.
Johnny Herbert was let go in January as a steward because the FIA said his "duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible." The FIA said the decision was made "with regret.'
Herbert at the end of the 2024 season gave several interviews to gambling sites, some related to high-profile decisions he was involved with in his role as a steward. He even had a public argument with Jos Verstappen, father of the four-time champion, after Verstappen was penalised in Mexico City for an incident with Lando Norris.
Jos Verstappen alleged Herbert was biased and said "the FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest."
Herbert in turn criticised Verstappen's driving and called it "over the top." He also said Verstappen had developed "a horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track."
The FIA determined Herbert had displayed impartiality and could no longer be a steward.
Warwick, meanwhile, has apologised and the FIA has indicated his punishment is only for this weekend.
Formula 1's governing body has suspended a driver steward for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix over comments he made regarding a recent penalty received by Max Verstappen.
The FIA said on Friday that Derek Warwick's comments were not authorised and he will be replaced by Enrique Bernoldi, who will officiate from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva for the remainder of the weekend.
"After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologised," the FIA said in a statement. "Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix."
Verstappen received a three-point penalty for running George Russell off track at the Spanish Grand Prix. The penalty put the four-time reigning F1 champion just one point away from an automatic one-race suspension.
Warwick did an interview with a gambling publication in which he defended the penalty levied to Verstappen as the "perfect" punishment because the Dutchman was "absolutely wrong" in the contact with Russell.
It is the second time this year the FIA has penalised a race steward.
Johnny Herbert was let go in January as a steward because the FIA said his "duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible." The FIA said the decision was made "with regret.'
Herbert at the end of the 2024 season gave several interviews to gambling sites, some related to high-profile decisions he was involved with in his role as a steward. He even had a public argument with Jos Verstappen, father of the four-time champion, after Verstappen was penalised in Mexico City for an incident with Lando Norris.
Jos Verstappen alleged Herbert was biased and said "the FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest."
Herbert in turn criticised Verstappen's driving and called it "over the top." He also said Verstappen had developed "a horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track."
The FIA determined Herbert had displayed impartiality and could no longer be a steward.
Warwick, meanwhile, has apologised and the FIA has indicated his punishment is only for this weekend.
Formula 1's governing body has suspended a driver steward for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix over comments he made regarding a recent penalty received by Max Verstappen.
The FIA said on Friday that Derek Warwick's comments were not authorised and he will be replaced by Enrique Bernoldi, who will officiate from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva for the remainder of the weekend.
"After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologised," the FIA said in a statement. "Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix."
Verstappen received a three-point penalty for running George Russell off track at the Spanish Grand Prix. The penalty put the four-time reigning F1 champion just one point away from an automatic one-race suspension.
Warwick did an interview with a gambling publication in which he defended the penalty levied to Verstappen as the "perfect" punishment because the Dutchman was "absolutely wrong" in the contact with Russell.
It is the second time this year the FIA has penalised a race steward.
Johnny Herbert was let go in January as a steward because the FIA said his "duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible." The FIA said the decision was made "with regret.'
Herbert at the end of the 2024 season gave several interviews to gambling sites, some related to high-profile decisions he was involved with in his role as a steward. He even had a public argument with Jos Verstappen, father of the four-time champion, after Verstappen was penalised in Mexico City for an incident with Lando Norris.
Jos Verstappen alleged Herbert was biased and said "the FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest."
Herbert in turn criticised Verstappen's driving and called it "over the top." He also said Verstappen had developed "a horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track."
The FIA determined Herbert had displayed impartiality and could no longer be a steward.
Warwick, meanwhile, has apologised and the FIA has indicated his punishment is only for this weekend.
Formula 1's governing body has suspended a driver steward for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix over comments he made regarding a recent penalty received by Max Verstappen.
The FIA said on Friday that Derek Warwick's comments were not authorised and he will be replaced by Enrique Bernoldi, who will officiate from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva for the remainder of the weekend.
"After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologised," the FIA said in a statement. "Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix."
Verstappen received a three-point penalty for running George Russell off track at the Spanish Grand Prix. The penalty put the four-time reigning F1 champion just one point away from an automatic one-race suspension.
Warwick did an interview with a gambling publication in which he defended the penalty levied to Verstappen as the "perfect" punishment because the Dutchman was "absolutely wrong" in the contact with Russell.
It is the second time this year the FIA has penalised a race steward.
Johnny Herbert was let go in January as a steward because the FIA said his "duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible." The FIA said the decision was made "with regret.'
Herbert at the end of the 2024 season gave several interviews to gambling sites, some related to high-profile decisions he was involved with in his role as a steward. He even had a public argument with Jos Verstappen, father of the four-time champion, after Verstappen was penalised in Mexico City for an incident with Lando Norris.
Jos Verstappen alleged Herbert was biased and said "the FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest."
Herbert in turn criticised Verstappen's driving and called it "over the top." He also said Verstappen had developed "a horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track."
The FIA determined Herbert had displayed impartiality and could no longer be a steward.
Warwick, meanwhile, has apologised and the FIA has indicated his punishment is only for this weekend.
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George Russell has roared to a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after seeing off rivals Max Verstappen and Australia's Oscar Piastri to clinch top spot in Montreal. Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session on Saturday clocking 1 minute 10.899 seconds to cross the line 0.160 clear of Verstappen. Australia's championship leader Piastri had to settle for third but it was another bitterly-disappointing one-lap showing from his teammate Lando Norris which leaves him seventh on the grid. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell started on pole in Montreal last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. "Today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd," said Russell. "The last lap was one of the most exhilarating laps of my life. "I got into the last corner and I could see on my steering wheel that this lap was mighty. It was a surprise to see I was first but I was chuffed too." Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane. That handed the advantage to both Verstappen and Piastri with the former holding a 0.025 seconds advantage over the Australian. Piastri earlier hit Montreal's wall of champions in the final practice session. The incident briefly triggering red flags when he skimmed the famed wall at the last corner and scattered debris with 37 minutes to go. The Melbourne driver was able to get back out again with 24 minutes remaining. "Our pace on race days is generally where we're strong," he said. "These two next to me were very quick in the race runs yesterday, so it's certainly not going to be a slam dunk win, but I think we're definitely in the fight." A red flag was also deployed in Q1 after bodywork flew off Alex Albon's Williams on the back straight. Albon progressed to the next phase - and qualified 10th - but his team-mate Carlos Sainz, was eliminated. Sainz was left in 17th but will start one place higher after Yuki Tsunoda was demoted from 11th to last following a red-flag infringement in final practice. Home favourite Lance Stroll will start a place back from Sainz after he fell at the first hurdle, 14 days after he withdrew from the race in Spain with a wrist injury. Before putting his Mercedes on pole for the second year in a row, Russell had only managed third in practice. Ahead of Sunday's showdown, Piastri leads Norris by 10 points in the drivers' championship after nine of the 24 races. He has won five times so far this season and is bidding to be the first Australian to win six in a single campaign. George Russell has roared to a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after seeing off rivals Max Verstappen and Australia's Oscar Piastri to clinch top spot in Montreal. Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session on Saturday clocking 1 minute 10.899 seconds to cross the line 0.160 clear of Verstappen. Australia's championship leader Piastri had to settle for third but it was another bitterly-disappointing one-lap showing from his teammate Lando Norris which leaves him seventh on the grid. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell started on pole in Montreal last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. "Today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd," said Russell. "The last lap was one of the most exhilarating laps of my life. "I got into the last corner and I could see on my steering wheel that this lap was mighty. It was a surprise to see I was first but I was chuffed too." Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane. That handed the advantage to both Verstappen and Piastri with the former holding a 0.025 seconds advantage over the Australian. Piastri earlier hit Montreal's wall of champions in the final practice session. The incident briefly triggering red flags when he skimmed the famed wall at the last corner and scattered debris with 37 minutes to go. The Melbourne driver was able to get back out again with 24 minutes remaining. "Our pace on race days is generally where we're strong," he said. "These two next to me were very quick in the race runs yesterday, so it's certainly not going to be a slam dunk win, but I think we're definitely in the fight." A red flag was also deployed in Q1 after bodywork flew off Alex Albon's Williams on the back straight. Albon progressed to the next phase - and qualified 10th - but his team-mate Carlos Sainz, was eliminated. Sainz was left in 17th but will start one place higher after Yuki Tsunoda was demoted from 11th to last following a red-flag infringement in final practice. Home favourite Lance Stroll will start a place back from Sainz after he fell at the first hurdle, 14 days after he withdrew from the race in Spain with a wrist injury. Before putting his Mercedes on pole for the second year in a row, Russell had only managed third in practice. Ahead of Sunday's showdown, Piastri leads Norris by 10 points in the drivers' championship after nine of the 24 races. He has won five times so far this season and is bidding to be the first Australian to win six in a single campaign. George Russell has roared to a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after seeing off rivals Max Verstappen and Australia's Oscar Piastri to clinch top spot in Montreal. Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session on Saturday clocking 1 minute 10.899 seconds to cross the line 0.160 clear of Verstappen. Australia's championship leader Piastri had to settle for third but it was another bitterly-disappointing one-lap showing from his teammate Lando Norris which leaves him seventh on the grid. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell started on pole in Montreal last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. "Today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd," said Russell. "The last lap was one of the most exhilarating laps of my life. "I got into the last corner and I could see on my steering wheel that this lap was mighty. It was a surprise to see I was first but I was chuffed too." Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane. That handed the advantage to both Verstappen and Piastri with the former holding a 0.025 seconds advantage over the Australian. Piastri earlier hit Montreal's wall of champions in the final practice session. The incident briefly triggering red flags when he skimmed the famed wall at the last corner and scattered debris with 37 minutes to go. The Melbourne driver was able to get back out again with 24 minutes remaining. "Our pace on race days is generally where we're strong," he said. "These two next to me were very quick in the race runs yesterday, so it's certainly not going to be a slam dunk win, but I think we're definitely in the fight." A red flag was also deployed in Q1 after bodywork flew off Alex Albon's Williams on the back straight. Albon progressed to the next phase - and qualified 10th - but his team-mate Carlos Sainz, was eliminated. Sainz was left in 17th but will start one place higher after Yuki Tsunoda was demoted from 11th to last following a red-flag infringement in final practice. Home favourite Lance Stroll will start a place back from Sainz after he fell at the first hurdle, 14 days after he withdrew from the race in Spain with a wrist injury. Before putting his Mercedes on pole for the second year in a row, Russell had only managed third in practice. Ahead of Sunday's showdown, Piastri leads Norris by 10 points in the drivers' championship after nine of the 24 races. He has won five times so far this season and is bidding to be the first Australian to win six in a single campaign. George Russell has roared to a brilliant pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix after seeing off rivals Max Verstappen and Australia's Oscar Piastri to clinch top spot in Montreal. Russell delivered the goods with the final lap of a thrilling qualifying session on Saturday clocking 1 minute 10.899 seconds to cross the line 0.160 clear of Verstappen. Australia's championship leader Piastri had to settle for third but it was another bitterly-disappointing one-lap showing from his teammate Lando Norris which leaves him seventh on the grid. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, one place ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Russell started on pole in Montreal last year and came from nowhere to secure first place again. "Today was awesome in front of this amazing crowd," said Russell. "The last lap was one of the most exhilarating laps of my life. "I got into the last corner and I could see on my steering wheel that this lap was mighty. It was a surprise to see I was first but I was chuffed too." Norris, whose championship challenge has been derailed by errors in qualifying, made a mistake on his first run in Q1 and had to abort the final right-left chicane. That handed the advantage to both Verstappen and Piastri with the former holding a 0.025 seconds advantage over the Australian. Piastri earlier hit Montreal's wall of champions in the final practice session. The incident briefly triggering red flags when he skimmed the famed wall at the last corner and scattered debris with 37 minutes to go. The Melbourne driver was able to get back out again with 24 minutes remaining. "Our pace on race days is generally where we're strong," he said. "These two next to me were very quick in the race runs yesterday, so it's certainly not going to be a slam dunk win, but I think we're definitely in the fight." A red flag was also deployed in Q1 after bodywork flew off Alex Albon's Williams on the back straight. Albon progressed to the next phase - and qualified 10th - but his team-mate Carlos Sainz, was eliminated. Sainz was left in 17th but will start one place higher after Yuki Tsunoda was demoted from 11th to last following a red-flag infringement in final practice. Home favourite Lance Stroll will start a place back from Sainz after he fell at the first hurdle, 14 days after he withdrew from the race in Spain with a wrist injury. Before putting his Mercedes on pole for the second year in a row, Russell had only managed third in practice. Ahead of Sunday's showdown, Piastri leads Norris by 10 points in the drivers' championship after nine of the 24 races. He has won five times so far this season and is bidding to be the first Australian to win six in a single campaign.
