Stewards

Stewards are officials appointed by the FIA to investigate incidents during Formula 1 race weekends and issue penalties where appropriate. A panel of three stewards (plus a driver steward since 2010) reviews incidents referred to them by the race director or reported by teams. Stewards can issue a range of penalties: time penalties (5 seconds, 10 seconds, drive-through, stop-and-go), grid penalties for the next race, reprimands, or disqualification. Steward decisions are often controversial — the same incident can be judged differently depending on the stewards involved, leading to accusations of inconsistency. The introduction of a driver steward (a former F1 driver) in 2010 was intended to improve the quality and consistency of decisions.

Stewards have been part of F1 since the beginning. The role has evolved significantly over the decades. The introduction of video evidence and data analysis has improved the quality of steward decisions. The driver steward concept was introduced in 2010.