The FIA has just suspended Formula 1 race steward Derek Warwick for the Canadian Grand Prix after his ‘unauthorised’ comments about Red Bull racer Max Verstappen.
Warwick was set to take up the position of the former racing driver on the four-person panel of FIA race stewards at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. But the FIA has replaced the ex-Toleman and Renault F1 driver for the Canadian GP, with Enrique Bernoldi occupying the Briton’s role.
The FIA has suspended Warwick for his ‘unauthorised’ comments discussing the 10-second time penalty and three superlicence points given to Red Bull pilot Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA says Warwick accepts his comments were ‘ill-advised’ given his position.
Warwick noted after the last round of the 2025 F1 season that he agreed with the stewards’ ruling for Verstappen driving into George Russell in Spain. The 27-year-old lost control of his emotions after Red Bull incorrectly advised Verstappen to yield the place to Russell in Spain.
Derek Warwick thinks dealing with being a global superstar ‘must be horrible’ for Lewis Hamilton
Warwick has also spoken to other media outlets and believes it ‘must be horrible’ for Lewis Hamilton to deal with the consequences of being a global superstar. He feels drivers like the Ferrari star will face situations that very few people will ever experience due to their status.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
The 70-year-old, who competed in 162 Grands Prix from 1981 to 1993, cannot compare his experiences to what his fellow Briton now goes through. But the social demands of being a face of Formula 1 were an aspect that the likes of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost also faced.
Warwick told GPblog: “I’ve been asked many times, how did I deal with fame? I was lucky. I wasn’t famous. I was very well-known within my industry.
“Everybody knew me in my industry. When I was racing in Formula 1, I was a little prima donna, a little god driving for a team. But outside of that, I wasn’t really known that well.
“People like Senna, Prost, [Nelson] Piquet, Hamilton, [Charles] Leclerc [and Sebastian] Vettel, they’re hammered, hammered, hammered. They can’t go anywhere without somebody knocking on their shoulder. I think social media has spoiled the world.
“I’ll be honest with you, because I’ve been misunderstood a couple of times with my social media, it’s pretty ugly and I’m a nobody.
“So, I would think that these top personalities, whether it be sport, motor racing [or] singers, it must be horrible. If you are very sensitive, which I can be, it hurts.
“It hurts that people have not understood things that have happened in my life and show it as vile negativity.”
Derek Warwick is now in the ‘horrible’ situation after being suspended over comments about Max Verstappen
Hamilton is one of very few Formula 1 drivers to truly be a global superstar, whose stardom transcends beyond motorsport and into mainstream news. YouGov even ranks Hamilton as the second-most recognisable sports personality ever, behind football icon David Beckham.
Part of the reason for why Hamilton is such a recognisable face is also down to his activities outside of Formula 1, with the seven-time drivers’ champion involved in music, fashion and social activism. But not everyone will always agree with what another person does or likes.
Warwick also now finds himself in the ‘horrible’ situation that the four-time F1 Grand Prix podium finisher discussed in relation to Hamilton after his comments about Verstappen’s penalty in Spain whilst an active FIA race steward. He will resume the role at future races.
