Four-time world champion Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, has criticized the FIA's stewarding model, revealing that stewards serve on a volunteer basis and are only reimbursed for their expenses. Jos believes this approach needs to change to bring a more professional standard to the sport by having permanent stewards. He suggested that Formula 1's governing body should "learn a lot from FIFA" in this regard, where the referees are well paid.
While the 2024 season saw the F1 grid at its closest ever in the current ground effect era, the intense competition also gave the stewards a tough time to address incidents in a hectic year filled with 24 races. However, an alleged inconsistency in the stewards' penalties was noticed, especially in the way incidents between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were handled in their championship battle.
Experts have linked this issue to the rotational system of FIA stewards, suggesting that appointing permanent, full-time stewards would ensure consistent handling of incidents based on past precedents. Jos supports this idea but takes it a step further by urging the governing body to learn from FIFA. In an interview with Formule1.nl, when he was asked if it was unusual for a sport like Formula 1 to use the services of stewards who were paid in expenses only, he said:
“Yes – choose a pool of permanent stewards and pay and value them properly.
“Now they get a small amount to be at a race and some do it because they can use the money, but I think you need to find people who don’t depend on that at all.
“In football, you have FIFA referees, they get training and courses and are paid well. The same should happen in Formula 1, of course. In this area, the FIA can still learn a lot from FIFA.”
However, Jos' concerns have already been addressed by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who stated that the governing body could not afford full-time stewards. He told Motorsport.com:
"I say it again and again – stewards do not grow on trees.
“It takes time to educate them. It takes time to train them. And then you evolve them, so we have a programme.
“I see the point about having them maybe like the Premier League where they [the referees] are paid. But we don't have the money to do that.
“So we have to be also very careful of the way we are going. As long as they are committed, fair, and they are trained properly, then there will be stewards who come and go.”
There is one way in which the sport could have permanent stewards, and that is by paying for it. He added:
“This kind of looks like a scope of work between FOM and the FIA.
“So if FOM is writing a cheque – which they are – to the FIA, but the scope of work says ‘part-time stewards’ and F1 wants something different, then that is different, and it comes with a new price.
“That means F1, i.e. the teams, should pay for it. So I think if that's what we've bought, and we want to change it, then I think we need to pay for it.”
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