Former Formula 1 driver and FIA steward Johnny Herbert has directly criticised Lewis Hamilton’s recent remarks concerning the sport’s officials. Herbert stated that Hamilton must cease blaming the stewards for penalties incurred, following an incident at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this month.
Hamilton expressed significant frustration after receiving a five-second time penalty during the Hungarian event. He commented that ‘every opportunity I give these stewards, they give me a penalty,’ suggesting a pattern of targeting. Hamilton also advocated for a more collaborative approach from race control.
The penalty in question was issued for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit. Herbert highlighted that this infringement, even if marginal, triggers an automatic sanction under the established Formula 1 regulations, leaving no room for subjective assessment by the stewards.
Herbert firmly rejected Hamilton’s stance, asserting that the pit-lane speeding offence was ‘Hamilton’s mistake, full stop.’ He emphasised that responsibility for such errors lies solely with the driver and cannot be attributed to external factors or officials.
The former steward also questioned Hamilton’s current judgment, remarking, ‘Now, would the Lewis of 10 years ago have done something like that? Probably not.’ This implied a lapse in the seven-time world champion’s execution.
Herbert further defended the integrity of the stewarding system, dismissing any suggestions of bias against Hamilton. He affirmed that the officials perform an ‘excellent job’ in maintaining consistency, which is a fundamental requirement for all teams and drivers.
Hamilton’s frustration stems from a series of recent sanctions, having accumulated four penalties across his last three races. This includes a five-second penalty for a false start at Silverstone, which Hamilton claimed the FIA later acknowledged should not have been issued.
Despite these disciplinary issues, Hamilton is currently in his second season with Ferrari, having joined the team in 2025. He secured his first Grand Prix victory with the Scuderia in Barcelona this year and currently holds second position in the Drivers’ standings.
Herbert’s overarching message remains that Hamilton must focus on eliminating the errors that lead to these penalties, rather than questioning the officiating system.
