Trust is gone and needs to be regained!
In a year as great as 2021 was for F1, with the title battle, dramatic races, and unexpected winners, it was a real shame to see disorganisation and indecision from the governing body, which undoubtedly decided the championship. It is time for change at the FIA, I just hope they take responsibility for their actions.
Stewarding is a really tough job, and there are examples all across Motorsport from 2021, of other series getting it wrong too. However, the FIA is a huge body, whose main role is to oversee the fair and safe running of so many Motorsports, so they should know what they are doing. Plus, a huge part of their income is from F1, so they need to put the effort in to equal that.
Looking at last season, one of the main issues was consistency, for example, at the first race, Verstappen was told to give the place back to Lewis, for going off track, which was the right call. Yet apparently Hamilton went off track 29 times, on a corner they said they were monitoring, to Red Bull, which I just don’t understand.
This comes onto another problem, they don’t seem to stick to their guns, they seem half hearted and almost pushovers. Every single team has agreed to abide by the rulebook that they made, so they should have the conviction to use it. The team to FIA radio hasn’t helped things, but stuff like track limits I find stupid. If you aren’t going to use the white line, why is it there? Of course, the drivers will complain, because it makes it harder for them, but I bet if you put grass beyond the white line, they wouldn’t go there anymore.
The decisions they made in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi were really poor, especially the latter, it does seem like the FIA is sponsored by Netflix. I have been called out for saying it was a thrilling last lap, which I do believe is true, but I agree it shouldn’t have happened that way. It has left a sour taste in my mouth, and I am sure most F1 fans too. As I said before, if you follow the rules you made, no one can complain really. In some ways, seeing Max having to get past the backmarkers and try and chase down Lewis in 1 lap may have been just as thrilling as what happened, maybe even better.
So, what now? Well, I do fear that the FIA will just push this all under the carpet, they are a shady organisation when it comes to this sort of thing, they have a history with Balestre and Mosley. Even if changes are made, the findings shouldn’t be hidden behind closed doors, as to gain the trust back of the fans and teams, requires the truth to be heard. Here is what I think should happen:
Firstly, the elephant in the room, Michael Masi. He came into the sport after we lost Whiting, promising a new and potentially good shake up of the stewarding process. However, it just hasn’t worked, he hasn’t been strong enough to drive home his way of doing it, so we are stuck in a halfway house, with the worst of both worlds. Even worse, has been the safety under his command, namely with Safety Car’s going out too late, or cars being released too early, which is truly unacceptable. The teams have no trust in him, so he should go. The only way he could stay is if the FIA are truly open and thorough with their investigation, and allow him to work better.
A major cause of the inconsistency in the FIA rulings is the constantly changing stewarding panel from race to race. Apparently, they need to allow them to have a break, as there are too many races. Well, firstly the number of races should be reduced then, if it is going to affect the integrity of the racing. Plus, most of the paddock go to every race, so I don’t see it as a massive excuse, but I understand it is a tough calendar. So, for a compromise, there should be 6 full time stewards, who rotate two races on and one off, to maintain a better level of consistency. Also, instead of just one of the four stewards being an ex-driver, it should be at least two maybe even more.
Now for the rule book itself, which feels as though it has been written in a boardroom, miles away from any racetrack, which is probably true. Go and talk to the drivers, literally sit down with all of them in a room, and with a comb sift through the on track racing part of the rules. Then, if a driver complains about something, they can say well you agreed to it. Also, the definitions of the rules need to be clearer, refer to the cars and track, not words that look lawyery.
Finally, the reliance on small penalties is harming the sport. Penalties are meant to be deterrents, to convince drivers to not break the rules, not an everyday part of racing. Racing series such as IndyCar or V8 Supercars, who have a much better system than the FIA do, use bigger penalties, and do it less often. What this does is makes a driver think twice, because something like a drive through could ruin their race.
In summary, the FIA just needs to be more personable, and have better communication with the teams and drivers. Currently, there is a huge disconnect between the two, as the FIA is basically a huge corporation bossing everyone around, not going out and talking to people. Other series have a head steward who has the respect of everyone, like F1 had with Charlie, who went and talked it out. It isn’t all Masi’s fault, as I bet the FIA pushed him to be the way he ended up, I wouldn’t be surprised if the FIA didn’t like Charlie’s approach. Very simply, F1 needs a new Charlie Whiting, but those are extremely hard to come by!
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 