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FIA have suspended race steward and former F1 driver Derek Warwick for his recent "unauthorised media comments" ahead of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix. The 70-year-old had a decade-long stint as an F1 driver during he early 80s till the early 90s when he drove for teams like Toleman, Renault and Brabham, Lotus, etc.
However, he made his name in Endurance and Sportcar racing and even won the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in his class category in 1992. After ending his racing career, Warwick became the President of the British Racing Drivers' Club from 2011 to 2017 and succeeded Damon Hill in the role. Over the last couple of years, the Brit has been acting as an FIA race steward and has made some noteworthy decisions, such as the infamous Abu Dhabi 2021 GP safety car controversy.
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He recently gave his personal comments to a betting platform regarding Lewis Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari and Max Verstappen's penalty in Spain. However, the comments have led him into hot water with the sport and earned him a suspension from the Canadian GP.
The governing body gave a further explanation in their statement and said:
“After discussion, Derek 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.”
Derek Warwick will preside over his role from the Austrian GP, having last served in the role during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
Derek Warwick comments on Lewis Hamilton's quest for an eighth world title
FIA race steward Derek Warwick stated that he believed that Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton "deserves" an eighth world championship but claimed that it would be difficult to achieve the feat in the 2025 season.
As per PlanetF1, Derek Warwick gave his take on Hamilton's struggles and said:
“Do I want Lewis to win races and challenge for the World Championship? Yes. I think he deserves it. I think he deserves that eighth world title. It’s not going to happen this year. And I think if it carries on the way it is at the minute, I suspect he’s already thinking of stopping.
“I don’t see him running half a second behind Charles, and also running in sixth, seventh and eighth place. He’s had enough of that for the last three years, with Mercedes, so he needs to get a bit of confidence back. In China, when he won the sprint race, I thought that was the turning point, but the car’s still not to his liking.”
Warwick is the second high-profile race steward to face the punishment, with former F1 driver Johnny Herbert being let go by the FIA for his comments made at the end of the 2024 season.
