After the bad experience that the International Federation had to deal with during the 2021 Formula 1 season, by having to manage many moments in which the race director, teams, drivers and (why not?) even the fans did not agree on (episodes that obviously reached the peak in the last race in Abu Dhabi), new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem decided to come up with a whole new mechanism and different procedures for the 2022 F1 campaign.
An alternation has been established between two race directors, Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who in turn have to report to a permanent external supervisor, Herbie Blash.
However, so far the system does not seem to be appreciated by some teams and drivers. In these first races, even if the two FIA managers have shown an iron fist on some issues (as could be clear based on what happened with the track-limits at the Red Bull Ring in Austria) the decisions are often different from race to race, which inevitably leads to complaints and dissatisfaction among drivers.
Charles Leclerc: “We need consistency. Having only one race director would help”
There have been several controversial and contradictory decisions in this first part of the season, as repeatedly and vocally pointed out by Alpine driver Fernando Alonso, who is still very angry due to the five-second time penalty given for weaving on the straight on the penultimate lap of the race.
Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc also believes that the new system does not seem to be efficient at this stage: “We have always demanded decision-making consistency from the FIA,” – the Ferrari driver said in a recent interview for RacingNews365 – “Having two race directors, however, makes everything a bit more difficult.”
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma! Enter the online Puma Store and shop securely! And get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
The Monegasque has not lost hope, but the FIA must intervene: “I don’t think it is impossible to achieve a good level of consistency. But I think that probably having only one race director would help in this” – Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc concluded.
Leave a Reply