The race director and the commissioners have been the focus of attention not only since the controversial end of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi, which led to changes within the Formula 1 department of the FIA.
Incidents continued to occur throughout the year, causing confusion among drivers as to what was allowed in wheel-to-wheel duels. There were calls for more consistency in decisions about possible penalties.
In this context, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton also sees the bias of the race stewards as part of the problem: “We have to make sure that we also get unbiased stewards,” says the Briton, when asked about the restructuring in the race management.
Hamilton: Race stewards should be neutral
“Some racers are very, very good friends with certain people. Some travel with certain people and tend to like some of them in particular. I just think we need people who aren’t biased and are super neutral when it comes to that going to make decisions.”
Alpine pilot Fernando Alonso also claimed after last year’s Russian Grand Prix that there were “different rules for different people” and that it was interesting to see “what nationality he is and what punishment he gets”.
The then race director Michael Masi rejected the accusation and said that “the rules are applied equally to everyone”. In the future, Masi will be replaced by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich, who will alternate in the role of race manager.
Desire for more diversity in race management
Hamilton, however, would like to see greater diversity among the FIA race stewards. At each Grand Prix there is usually a panel of four people who work closely with race officials to assess incidents and decide on possible penalties.
“I would like to see more women among the stewards,” says Hamilton. “I don’t think we have many, last year it was maybe one or two. And I think it would be great if a man and a woman were the two race directors. I think that’s a good way to do that too promote diversity.”
Uncertainty over racing rules peaked in Brazil and Saudi Arabia last year after battles between Hamilton and title rival Max Verstappen, prompting talks between drivers and the FIA.
Formula 1 needs more consistent decisions
Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez, on applying the rules to duels on track, says that while it’s “a bit in the nature of the sport” to have some uncertainty, it’s important to achieve consistency where possible.
“It’s not like football, where everything is much clearer,” Perez draws the comparison. “Here every incident is different and it is very difficult for the stewards to make decisions. But we need a certain level of consistency among the stewards so that they judge consistently in the races.”
“We also have to support the new race director who comes into office. That always takes time. It’s in the nature of our sport. It’s always a debate, it’s not as easy as in other sports,” says the Red Bull -Pilot.
And McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo adds: “We drivers are probably all on the same page when it comes to how racing should look like. But there will still be a small difference in what is mandatory and what is not.”
“So even among us it’s not always that easy. It’s not an easy job, but it needs a certain level of consistency. That’s all we can ask for and then we’ll know a little bit better what’s right and what’s wrong ” says Ricciardo.