Formula 1's governing body has suspended a driver steward for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix over comments he made regarding a penalty Max Verstappen received two weeks ago.
The FIA said Friday that Derek Warwick's comments were not authorized and he will be replaced by Enrique Bernoldi, who will officiate from the Remote Operations Centre in Geneva for the remainder of the weekend.
“After discussion, Derek acknowledges that his comments were ill-advised in his role as an FIA steward and has apologized,” the FIA said in a statement. “Derek will resume his duties as a steward in the forthcoming Austrian Grand Prix.”
Verstappen received a three-point penalty for running George Russell off track at the Spanish Grand Prix. The penalty put the four-time reigning F1 champion just one point away from an automatic one-race suspension.
Warwick did an interview with a gambling publication in which he defended the penalty levied to Verstappen as the “perfect” punishment because the Dutchman was "absolutely wrong” in the contact with Russell.
It is the second time this year the FIA has penalized a race steward.
Johnny Herbert was let go in January as a steward because the FIA said his “duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible.” The FIA said the decision was made “with regret.'
Herbert at the end of the 2024 season gave several interviews to gambling sites, some related to high-profile decisions he was involved with in his role as a steward. He even had a public argument with Jos Verstappen, father of the four-time champion, after Verstappen was penalized in Mexico City for an incident with Lando Norris.
Jos Verstappen alleged Herbert was biased and said “the FIA should take a good look at the staffing of the stewards, who they put there and whether there is no appearance of a conflict of interest."
Herbert in turn criticized Verstappen’s driving and called it “over the top.” He also said Verstappen had developed “a horrible mindset of trying to gain an advantage by taking a fellow driver off the race track.”
The FIA determined Herbert had displayed impartiality and could no longer be a steward.
Warwick, meanwhile, has apologized and the FIA has indicated his punishment is only for this weekend.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, sits in his car during a pit stop at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.
Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
The Latest:
The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.
The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.
Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.
“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.
Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.
Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.
Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
