Johnny Herbert has announced that he has joined Lola as a brand ambassador, 24 hours after being dropped as an F1 driver steward by governing body the FIA.

The FIA confirmed on Wednesday that Herbert, who claimed three victories in 160 F1 starts between 1989 and 2000, will no longer serve as a driver representative on the stewards’ panel ahead of the F1 2025 season.

Johnny Herbert lands Lola role after FIA exit

It comes after the 60-year-old courted controversy last year for comments to the media, with the FIA deeming Herbert’s punditry work is “incompatible” with the role of a steward.

Herbert, who previously worked as a Sky F1 television pundit for a decade between 2012 and 2022, remains a highly popular figure in the world of motor racing.

And 24 hours after parting company with the FIA, Herbert has confirmed that he will work with historic brand Lola as a brand ambassador.

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Herbert’s new position will see him contribute to Lola’s Formula E activities after the brand and technical partner Yamaha joined forces with the ABT team for the 2024/25 season.

Lola’s return to the forefront of global motorsport could include a return to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race, the highlight of the World Endurance Championship calendar.

In a statement, Lola said that Herbert “has joined to bring his expertise to Lola Cars as we look to expand our presence across the highest echelons of motorsport and drive future progress in sustainable motor racing.”

Herbert’s deal with Lola was reportedly driven by his relationships with chief commercial officer Keith Smout and Lola owner Till Bechtolsheimer.

He is quoted by The Race as saying: “The nice thing for me is that Lola’s return is both a great news story for the motorsport industry and also it almost marries together different eras of racing.

“Lola’s heritage was all about where the engineers came from. They went through Lola, March, Reynard, etc and at that time it was like a university for engineers.

“In 2025 it’s not only back, but it’s back in one of the most innovative types of racing you can get – Formula E.

“And knowing Till and guys like Keith, this is just the start of a new technical adventure, so it’s really exciting.

“For Till to come up with the idea to give it another chance to go back onto the racetrack, it’s lovely to see.

“It’s people like Till that we need to have around to bring these wonderful names back into motorsport and that’s exactly what he’s doing at the present time.”

Herbert previously held a management role in F1 with the Jordan (now Aston Martin) team in 2005, joining as sporting relations manager and remaining in place after the team were rebranded as Midland the following season.

Herbert is believed to have been in line to serve as an FIA steward at the Australian Grand Prix, the opening round of the F1 2025 season, on March 16.

After his FIA exit was announced on Wednesday, Herbert issued a short statement, describing the role of a steward as “a difficult job” involving some “tough decisions.”

Writing on Instagram, he said: “I’m very grateful for the opportunity of being an FIA Driver Steward and I have thoroughly enjoyed the role I have been involved in over the years.

“It is a difficult job and there are tough decisions that have to be made.

“As Stewards, we have and will continue to treat both drivers and team personnel with the utmost respect and remain impartial at all times during all F1 Grand Prix weekends.

“Finally, I’m very grateful to the President and everyone at the FIA for the opportunities I have been given.”

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