FIA: comfort zone that Formula 1 dislikes and doesn't need

Formula 1 and the FIA don’t always see eye to eye on many things. However, one thing unites them: the desire/need to make money. Yes, because at the end of the day, despite the countless discussions surrounding the issue, the drive to expand the roster of teams in the pinnacle of motorsport is fueled by one goal: to gather as much money as possible. In this, the U.S.-based ownership and the International Federation spare no one.

Remember the struggles for certain circuits to get more fees or the desire to race on tracks more or less suitable if it suits their pockets. Controversy is part of the introductory theme of this article and will likely continue in its continuation. For some years now, F1 has decided that the brands within the paddock are not enough. Hence, the idea of adding other automakers has found its place among the minds inhabiting the Circus.

In general, the concept cannot be deemed wrong. However, what, in our view, stands out is how this possibility was conceived and implemented. The world of Formula One has always been elite, we know that. Entering the race without experience means not having the chance to be competitive. All true. To erase this handicap, therefore, it was decided to overturn the rules once again.

All this to allow newcomers to enter through the main door. To offer the opportunity to hit the bullseye on the first try. In other words, you can easily discard a mature and factual technology, that of power units, disrupting the proportion between endothermic and hybrid. All this in the name of technology? No, sir, because the real purpose, as mentioned, is only one: to make the category richer and more visible.

The FIA doesn’t backtrack: F1 teams were in agreement…
Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the president of the International Federation. The former Emirati rally driver, at a time not suspect, has repeatedly and decisively stated that the regulatory framework that will take effect from the 2026 racing season will undergo no changes. The sixty-two-year-old native of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, does not feel like it, as the decisions have been made and are irreversible. It doesn’t matter if some teams are now in disagreement.

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To plead his case, and it’s hard to blame him, the head of the FIA argues that the regulation was not imposed but was voted on by the teams. That’s why “complaints or second thoughts” will not be taken into consideration. How can one blame him in this regard? Furthermore, Sulayem adds figures to the value of his thesis by mentioning the so-called “comfort zone.” We’re talking about a psychological state within which a team feels comfortable, aware that everything is under control.

This prerogative limits the entry of new investors and is therefore not good. It is necessary to look to the future by breaking down certain resistances. Without this attitude, for example, Audi would not have entered F1. Losing the opportunity to have the giant founded in 1909 by August Horch among its ranks was not acceptable. The same goes for the strong interest from Porsche. Therefore, changing the rules mid-game is not possible, to the chagrin of those who have written the history of this sport.

The future remains uncertain. At the current state of affairs, it is difficult to understand what will happen. The technical group of the FIA is convinced that the path taken towards new technologies will be factual. However, keeping in mind the past, we can say that several revolutions have caused upheaval in F1, and many objectives that the International Federation had set have not been achieved. Being skeptical, then, doesn’t sound so strange. One thing is certain: the eagerness to set aside the ethics of this sport continues to be present when the “God of money” calls.