Johnny Herbert defends FIA stewards following Lewis Hamilton penalties

Former Formula 1 driver and FIA steward Johnny Herbert has defended racing officials following a series of penalties issued to Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has expressed frustration over receiving four penalties across three race weekends, including a five-second penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit by 0.1 km/h.

During driver briefings, Hamilton raised concerns regarding the consistency of officiating, noting that officials acknowledged a false-start penalty at the British Grand Prix was issued in error. He argued that historical precedents show drivers have moved without being penalized.

Herbert dismissed claims of official bias, stating that the guidelines are clear and that the stewards are performing an excellent job. He attributed the recent infractions to driver error rather than bad luck, suggesting that Hamilton must take responsibility for operational mistakes and learn to avoid such errors.