F1 steward suspended from Canadian GP after Max Verstappen penalty comments
The FIA announced Friday evening that steward Derek Warwick has been suspended from his duties for the remainder of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Enrique Bernoldi, a former Formula One driver from the early 2000s, will replace him and officiate 'from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva,' according to the governing body.
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The move comes after Warwick, who competed in F1 from 1981 to 1993, made 'unauthorized media comments' recently, with reports surfacing earlier this week that the he spoke about a wide range of topics on the gambling site Plejmo, including about Max Verstappen's Spanish Grand Prix penalty that's placed the Dutchman one penalty point away from a race ban.
'Should it have been harsher? I think they got it about right, actually,' Warwick said to Plejmo about the FIA's 10-second penalty on Verstappen for causing a collision with George Russell in Spain. 'I think a lot of people would say he should have got a ban as an example to young karters, and they are probably right, but I feel the penalty was spot on.'
'You've got to look at each individual incident on their own merit. I thought it was very questionable. It's not what I like to see.'
The FIA added in its statement, 'After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologised. Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix.'
This is not the first time that the governing body has taken action on stewards making media remarks in recent years. Last season, Johnny Herbert and the FIA mutually agreed his role as a steward was 'incompatible' with his media duties. He raced in F1 from 1989 to 2000 and later became a pundit for Sky Sports in 2012. He left the role in 2022 but remained an analyst, speaking with betting sites. He had made numerous public comments about incidents he oversaw as a steward, which raised concerns within the FIA.
Driver stewards play a powerful role in an F1 weekend. While there have been calls for permanent stewards from time to time for consistency reasons, it remains a rotating panel, each race weekend consisting of four individuals. Race control typically notes when incidents happen, and it's the race director who sends it to the stewards. The final judgement falls with the stewards, who are akin to referees. The regulations give guidelines on what penalties are available; however, the stewards decide the infringements and sanctions.
The bottom of each decision document states: 'Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence presented.'
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