Zak Brown’s recent statements about F1 stewards have sparked significant debate. According to the McLaren CEO, race stewards should be full-time professionals, with McLaren even willing to cover the costs
A provocative suggestion—or perhaps not. Brown, who leads the reigning 2024 World Champion McLaren team, has made a proposal to the FIA regarding the stewarding system. His idea is to employ full-time stewards in Formula 1, moving away from the current FIA practice of rotating unpaid volunteer officials from race to race.

Brown’s proposal comes at a time when many team principals share their concerns, especially after controversial decisions in the latter part of the 2024 season. From the Las Vegas GP onwards, a change in race officials led to a complete shift in stewarding decisions, causing inconsistency with previous years. The situation was further highlighted by Johnny Herbert’s departure from his role as a race steward under the FIA and its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Brown’s proposal: “We’ll pay for them”
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange in London, Zak Brown emphasized the need for reforming the stewarding system: “The most important thing is to address (or rather, to rebuild) the stewarding system. Having unpaid, part-time stewards in a multi-billion-dollar sport where every decision is crucial is… It’s a technical job, and when they get it right, nobody says, ‘Great job.’ I don’t think we can continue without full-time stewards. The individuals themselves are fine, but the regulations are too restrictive “.

“I’d like us to take a step back and loosen the regulations. I want full-time stewards who can make more subjective decisions on what’s right or wrong. Regarding their payment, this may be an unpopular opinion among my colleagues, but I don’t mind if McLaren and other teams contribute. It’s vital for the sport, and if all teams chip in, it’s not an excessive cost”.“
Then Zak concluded: “I’m not sure about the contractual relationship between the FIA and Formula 1 regarding stewards. But ultimately, part-time stewards are unpaid. In any business, if you want change, it comes with a cost. If we have to pay for it, in the grand scheme of things, I don’t think it will be a significant expense. If McLaren covers a share, along with F1 and the FIA, splitting the cost makes it manageable.”
Photo: McLaren