McLaren CEO Admits Willingness To Pay For Full-Time FIA Stewards - 'Not Going To Break The Bank'

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has voiced his support for having full-time paid FIA stewards in Formula 1, stressing that contributing towards their remuneration won't "break the bank." There has been a lot of talk around the topic of having paid stewards in the sport after several incidents last year that raised concerns among drivers about an inconsistent application of the rules.
Brown has made it clear that a big change can only be brought about by having paid stewards. The 2024 season saw different penalties being applied to similar incidents from the United States Grand Prix and the Mexico City Grand Prix involving Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. This led drivers to conclude that the current rotational roster of stewards, which assigns different officials for each race, has contributed to inconsistent rulings.
While the stewards' ability is not in question, having a consistent group officiate multiple race weekends would ensure uniform interpretation of the rules. However, implementing this would require the FIA to employ full-time stewards and provide appropriate compensation, deviating from its current practice of relying on unpaid volunteers.
When the Grand Prix Drivers' Association put forward the point to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, asking him to change the model to having full-time paid stewards, the president gave a blunt answer that the FIA could not afford them and that the teams must pay for their services.
Brown stated that while the other team bosses could disagree with him, all F1 teams should collectively contribute to the stewards' compensation, and stressed that McLaren was ready to make contributions. Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange in London on Wednesday, he said:
"To have part-time, unpaid stewards in a multi-billion-dollar sport where everything is on the line to make the right call... I don’t think we are set up for success by not having full-time stewards.
“The individuals are fine but the rulebook is too restrictive. I’d like us to take a step back, loosen it up. Have full-time stewards who can make more of a subjective decision of whether that was right or wrong.
“As far as paying for the stewards, this will probably be unpopular amongst my fellow teams. I'm happy if McLaren and all the racing teams contribute. It's so important for the sport. It can't be that expensive if everybody contributes. It's not going to break the bank.
“What I don’t know is what’s the relationship contractually between the FIA and Formula 1 as far as what's the level of expectations on stewarding. But at the end of the day, the agreement says part-time stewarding is not paid."
Brown stressed that the sport must come together to make the much-needed change. He said:
"In any business, if you want something different, it's called a change order and if you want to change something, you have to pay for it.
“So, if we have to pay for it, in the big scheme of things I do not think it will be a significant amount. If it comes back to McLaren where you pay a percentage and what F1 will pay and what the FIA will pay, if you break up that fee, it is not that much but I think it is that important.”