Herbert: Seems to be a fight and a power struggle in the FIA

Herbert believes a power struggle is underway at the heart of F1’s governance: “There is genuine frustration with certain situations that have gone on. Ben Sulayem has just removed Ben Cussons, the British VP of the RAC, and replaced him with an Azerbaijani. He seems to be trying to take all the decision-making into his own hands.

“At the moment, it seems to be a fight and a power struggle. That’s not gone down well at all. Drivers are also afraid of speaking freely — that’s a problem created by the president. Drivers should be able to express their feelings without fear of getting into trouble.”

Herbert referenced Max Verstappen’s incident with swearing as an example of overreach, stating: “That’s very wrong. We need everyone working toward the same goal, not worrying about getting punished.”

Herbert praised rival candidate (pictured above) Tim Mayer, son of former McLaren boss Teddy Mayer, as a capable challenger. “Tim is a very methodical operator. I worked with him when I was a steward. He’d be a very good man to challenge Sulayem,” Herbert said.

“Every president should always have someone pushing them to do things better,” he added. “The timing is right, and now it’s down to who can actually put across the best campaign.”

The three-time Grand Prix winner strongly supports expanding the grid: “I raced in a period with 26 cars. When I started, there were 39 drivers going through pre-qualifying.”

Herbert said resistance is mainly due to financial concerns: “There’s always been pushback from teams about money splitting, but I believe it would be the right thing to do. It gives two more drivers a shot — like F2 champions who often get overlooked because there aren’t enough seats.”

Herbert welcomed interest from China as a potential F1 entrant: “If they want to give it a go, bring their technology and aim to win races — why not? It’s a no-brainer.”

He emphasised the commercial potential: “There would be more excitement from within China and maybe a Chinese driver fighting for points. If everyone benefits, what’s wrong with splitting the money?”