Herbert: It's good today's F1 drivers are more unified than ever

Herbert, often this season in the eye of the storm as part of the FIA-appointed F1 Race Stewards assisting the Race Directors, witnessed up close how drivers interact these days with officials whose every decision is analysed and dissected by pundits and fans alike.

Perhaps adding to F1 driver unity as the common 'enemy,' which, under President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA has become for the chaps who people pay to see drive. Swearing became a saga that captured far too many headlines. In short, Max Verstappen was censured for using expletives to describe his ill-performing car.

Red Bull's four-time F1 World Champion took offence and got the support from his F1 rivals, who, under the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association), hit back at Ben Sulayem.

Hence the tensions and subsequent driver unity Herbert sensed this season: “About four years all in all since the 2010 season. 2024 has been my first year back. It has been the most contentious year ever. Not just in the stewards’ room but also in what is going on within the teams. It is way more intense than I have ever felt before.

“The drivers are more unified than ever as well as a pack. They are very opinionated. I haven’t seen such a togetherness for more than 30 years. It is good that they do have a say. The more they do, the more they get listened to. It is important that they are."

Herbert also touched on the reaction from drivers and their associates when decisions go the wrong way: “Within the paddock you just move on. Yes, you have your disagreements and frustrations, but you just move on. That’s the only way. There is no lingering animosity with drivers or their fathers.

"Everyone knows being a steward is a difficult job. I have not felt it has impacted any relationships I have in the paddock. Everyone has enough respect for each other," ventured Herbert.