McLaren CEO Zak Brown is the latest in a growing list advocating for the professionalization of race stewards. Previously, George Russell also argued for paying the stewards, but FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem did not see merit in the proposal. According to Brown, however, paying the stewards is the best way to address inconsistencies.
In 2024, there were several debates within Formula 1 about racing guidelines. Especially during the last American triple header, drivers complained about sometimes unclear regulations. “I need a rule book in the car,” Max Verstappen responded, after he was handed two time penalties in Mexico City.
George Russell then argued for the professionalization of the stewards, in order to bring more consistency to motorsport. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem did not agree with the Brit’s proposal, as according to the Emirati, the FIA does not have the funds for it. Yet, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is now also advocating for full-time stewards.”I think we need to take a step back in the winter,” the American tells Channel 4. “We have too many penalties, we have too many inconsistencies. I think we all recognize that we need full-time stewards. I don’t blame the stewards, but I don’t think they’re set up for success, so we need full-time stewards.”
Too Many Rules
McLaren also faced numerous time penalties in 2024, including a five-second time penalty for Lando Norris in Austin. According to Brown, there have been far too many rules in Formula 1 recently. “We can’t blame anyone but ourselves, whether it’s the teams or the drivers, but we have far too many rules for everything. So I think we just need to take a step back and be a bit more subjective, discretionary, and use a bit of common sense when imposing some penalties,” concludes the CEO.
