Johnny Herbert backs FIA stewards after Lewis Hamilton penalty frustration

Herbert rejects claims of FIA bias

Former Formula 1 steward Johnny Herbert has defended the FIA officials involved in Lewis Hamilton’s recent penalties, insisting the Ferrari driver must accept responsibility for his latest sanction at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton has voiced his frustration after receiving four penalties across three race weekends. The most recent came in Hungary, where he was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding the 80 km/h pit-lane speed limit by just 0.1 km/h.

The infringement occurred during a Virtual Safety Car period, with Hamilton releasing his pit-lane limiter a fraction too early. Although the margin was extremely small, Herbert argued that the size of the error does not change who was responsible for it.

“You can’t say it was ‘just bad luck’. You can’t and mustn’t penalise a driver simply because you might not like him. That’s not how it works,” Herbert said.

He pointed to the structure of the stewards’ process and the need to apply the available guidelines consistently.

“The guidelines are there, plain and simple. There are four stewards in the room who work closely together. You can’t ignore the rules and guidelines, because that leads to all sorts of other problems. What’s more, it would rile the drivers,” he added.

Herbert’s comments come as Hamilton continues to question the consistency of officiating. During driver discussions with the FIA, the seven-time World Champion reportedly revealed that officials acknowledged a false-start penalty issued at the British Grand Prix had been an error.

‘The speeding offence was Hamilton’s fault’

Despite that wider concern, Herbert does not believe the Hungarian penalty should be viewed through the same lens. He said consistency is essential, but maintained that the stewards were right to act when the pit-lane limit was exceeded.

“Consistency in handing out penalties is therefore crucial, and that is precisely what teams and drivers always strive for. In my opinion, the stewards are doing an excellent job,” Herbert said.

He also suggested that Hamilton’s experience should have helped him avoid the mistake.

“The speeding offence was Hamilton’s fault, full stop. You can’t blame anyone else,” Herbert added. “Would the Lewis of 10 years ago have done something like that? Probably not. I don’t know why he got his judgement so completely wrong. Ultimately, there are no excuses.”

The debate adds another layer to the scrutiny surrounding FIA stewards and driving standards. For Ferrari, the immediate priority is to eliminate the operational errors that have turned small margins into lost opportunities. The team’s wider development picture remains a separate question, as outlined in our report on Ferrari’s SF-26 upgrade strategy.