F1 news: FIA suspend Canadian Grand Prix steward for ‘unauthorised comments’ | F1 | Sport

The FIA has announced that it has suspended steward Derek Warwick for the remainder of the Canadian Grand Prix week over “unauthorised” comments in the media. Earlier this week, Warwick spoke to a gambling site, Plejmo, about a range of F1 topics, including Max Verstappen‘s punishment for his Spanish Grand Prix collision with George Russell.

The former F1 driver, who competed on the grid from 1981 to 1993, was selected as part of the rotating panel of four stewards in Montreal. Race control notes when race incidents happen, and the race director sends them to the stewards, who play the role of referees. Stewards decide on infringements and sanctions based on the penalty guidelines laid out in F1’s regulations.

“Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence presented,” the bottom of each decision document reads.

The FIA has acted after considering Warwick media comments as potentially harmful when assessing the integrity of race weekend in Canada.

A statement read: “​​After discussion, Warwick 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.”

Another former F1 star, Enrique Bernoldi, has been selected as the 70-year-old’s replacement at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and will operate from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva.

As part of Warwick’s media outing, he claimed that the FIA were correct to move Verstappen just one penalty point away from a one-race ban for his actions in Barcelona.

“Should it have been harsher? I think they got it about right, actually,” he told Plejmo.

“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.”

Warwick isn’t the first when it comes to stewards being moved aside.

Last season, Johnny Herbert found himself in hot water after the FIA deemed his position as a steward “incompatible” with his media duties.

The ex-F1 driver, racing from 1989 to 2000, was a pundit for Sky Sports from 2012 and 2022, after which he acted as an analyst in interviews with different betting sites.

The FIA took action after Herbert made a series of comments about incidents he had decided on as a steward, which raised concerns.