Ex-drivers to stay in stewards panel

Following an initiative pushed through by FIA president Jean Todt for 2010, the three regular stewards at grands prix were joined by former high-profile drivers who could offer insight about incidents from a racing perspective.

Over the course of the season a number of former world champions helped fulfil the role of the drivers' steward - including Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Nigel Mansell - as well as other respected figures like Johnny Herbert, Alex Wurz and Tom Kristensen.

The policy of using a driver received widespread support in the paddock - with both drivers and team principals supporting the scheme.

Jenson Button told the new edition of the FIA in Motion magazine: "To have a former driver on the panel is a good idea. They know what's right and what's wrong; what's safe and what's close to the limit, as they have been around a long time themselves."

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner added: "From our perspective the driver steward idea has worked very well. It has added another perspective to the stewards and there have been a couple of instances where I can think of where this has made things different for us, where the driver steward read the situation correctly and the decision was thought through.

"Their experience has added an extra dimension and it is popular with the teams and the drivers and it is a good thing for F1."