What the FIA must do to restore F1’s credibility

Has everyone calmed down now?

The 2021 Formula 1 season finale has gone down as one of the most controversial in the championship’s history – overshadowing Max Verstappen’s triumph and leaving Lewis Hamilton disillusioned (Toto Wolff’s word) with the series in which he is statistically the greatest ever competitor. And that’s even without what would’ve been a record breaking eighth world title.

Over a month on from the Abu Dhabi farce and with pre-season testing for the new campaign now just under a month away, this is where F1 stands: the championship is finally on the verge of seeing if its latest attempt to improve racing quality through regulation overhaul will work, but its benchmark champion is not certain to return.

Now, it is still highly unlikely that Hamilton will walk away from F1 for good ahead of the 2022 campaign. But the fact this scenario is being discussed at all is a damning fallout from how last season’s brilliant title fight concluded.

The FIA is currently conducting a review into the events at the Yas Marina track last month, the findings of which are set to be announced at the World Motor Sport Council in Bahrain on 18 March – two days before the new season starts. This is obviously a welcome step in the hope for such a situation not being repeated, but the governing body has got a big problem racing alongside its probe, one it acknowledged in its statement announcing the investigation.

“The circumstances surrounding the use of the safety car following the incident of driver Nicholas Latifi, and the related communications between the FIA race direction team and the Formula 1 teams, have notably generated significant misunderstanding and reactions from Formula 1 teams, drivers and fans,” read the FIA’s statement last month.

“[It is] an argument that is currently tarnishing the image of the championship and the due celebration of the first drivers' world championship title won by Max Verstappen and the eighth consecutive constructors' world championship title won by Mercedes.”

The application of the lapped car rules under the employment of the safety car at Abu Dhabi still remains controversial

Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images

The statement hits the nail on the head – what happened in Abu Dhabi has badly stained F1’s reputation (far from spotless on many issues, but this column is about this particularly high-profile blemish). But the same statement effectively gaslights fans and competitors, as well as the watching media.

That’s a strong way of putting things considering the word’s definition, but people did not just misunderstand what happened during the final laps under the safety car following Latifi’s crash. They understood perfectly what was happening – race director Michael Masi’s words were played out for the world to hear. But it is the convoluted processes that allowed for such an eventuality that confused and enraged so many.

Better communication is the first and most straightforward lesson from this sorry mess. Like all sports, motorsport is a contest where believing exactly what is uttered by the competitors is most unwise, given the advantages to be gained by teams and drivers concealing weaknesses or hiding specific gains. That’s the nature of the beast, although it’s worth repeating in this super-polarised age, but those charged with regulating the competition should be as clear and willing to explain as possible.

Even if all these steps were taken in a bid to restore F1’s credibility and ensure lasting change comes from the Abu Dhabi mess, things can and will still go wrong

So, when the results of the Abu Dhabi probe are released, the FIA needs to act on them. It needs to ensure a repeat situation isn’t possible. Yes, a final lap shootout to decide a championship is a promoter’s dream and is probably the most thrilling situation for a watching observer – peak-end effect very much in action – but that cannot come at the sake of sporting integrity.

Alongside improved communication, greater transparency from the rulemakers would be most welcome. There’s a host of situations where this would be beneficial in motorsport, but it would’ve been handy too in other areas that caused consternation in 2021. This includes the many arguments over flexi-wing technology, plus track limits – such as the farrago involving Red Bull and Mercedes during the Bahrain Grand Prix, although that example can be applied pretty much anywhere on the modern F1 calendar, bar Monaco…

Then there’s explaining the sporting rules clearly and upholding them consistently. F1 should never have got itself into a situation as in Qatar, where several drivers stated that they were unsure what was acceptable driving following Verstappen’s controversial defence against Hamilton in Brazil. That bungled situation-handling contributed to the clashes in Jeddah, with Verstappen, in his defence, playing to the rules as he had been allowed to understand them.

The FIA's handling of the incidents between Hamilton and Verstappen in Jeddah served as a preamble to events at Abu Dhabi

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

The Abu Dhabi controversy really demonstrated how incredibly complex the rules covering F1’s sporting procedures have become. So, the FIA should find a way to simplify them and explain them properly and regularly.

Then it should test them thoroughly to root out loopholes. That’s a lesson that should’ve been learned from other examples in motorsport – perhaps most recently at last season’s London E-Prix, where then Audi driver Lucas di Grassi nearly won the second race with an audacious, cunning, attempt to vault into the lead by pitting under the safety car because the pitlane was a shorter route. Poor execution cost di Grassi that day, but the rules should never have allowed for it.

Finally, the time has surely come for F1 – and any motorsport series – to have permanent stewards to improve consistency. This would hopefully reduce the tedious arguments over clashes that also tarnish F1’s image. There are objections to such a move, including that having regular stewards risks them becoming susceptible to outside influence, but the same is surely just has true for the current arrangement.

Even if all these steps were taken in a bid to restore F1’s credibility and ensure lasting change comes from the Abu Dhabi mess, things can and will still go wrong. That also is sport – the tricky balance of expecting perfection when the nature of competition involves pushing boundaries. The pain will be felt so keenly by competitors in a way everyone else can never truly understand, and that must be appreciated.

But perhaps the final lesson for the F1 sphere that’s worth considering right now is that when things do go wrong, there is such a thing as the right way to react. Be angry, be hurt. But be respectful.

Lewis Hamilton congratulates Max Verstappen on his 2021 F1 title

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images