Just as Michael Masi sometimes adopted a different mindset than his immediate predecessor, Charlie Whiting , the new FIA race directors, Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas , have followed their own interpretation of the regulations, which has not always meshed with the that the drivers and teams did.
This year, frustration has been evident among grid members, with many agreeing that Masi was doing a good job before his departure from the governing body following the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This season they have to learn to work with not just one new race director, but two, as Wittich and Freitas take turns in the lead role. In general, they act as a team, although the Portuguese’s obligations in the WEC mean that he is not present at all the grands prix.
Inevitably, questions of consistency have arisen, not only in relation to previous years, but also between the two new race directors of the international federation, who have been very willing to follow the regulations to the letter. The tension caused by the wearing of jewelery by the drivers was just one example of how they approach things in the new era of Formula 1.
Such frustration has generally been kept behind closed doors, but in Austria, Max Verstappen made his opinion clear: “I don’t think it’s just having a single race director.”
“I think it’s more about working with the drivers rather than sticking to your guns and being stubborn,” said the reigning world champion. “We want to make it better for everyone, and it’s not like we’re fighting for ourselves.”
“We have good conversations between the drivers and, at the end of the day, more or less, on most things, we agree. Of course, everyone has their opinion on certain things,” added the Dutchman.
At last weekend’s French Grand Prix, and at the behest of the GPDA [drivers’ association], Freitas and Wittich reviewed some recent incidents at the drivers’ briefing on Friday night, showing from various camera angles and inviting opinions on whether the stewards should have applied a penalty or not.
Among the incidents analyzed were the touches between George Russell and Sergio Pérez in Austria, in addition to that of Alex Albon and Sebastian Vettel. The former deserved a penalty, but the latter did not, and as such they were interesting case studies.
Most of those present agreed that the Briton from Mercedes was at fault, and there was also strong support for Albon’s suspension, although some opinions were divided, reflecting the fact that stewards do not have an easy job.
Attention then turned to the final lap incident in Montreal, for which Fernando Alonso was penalized for changing direction down the straight on more than one occasion when Valtteri Bottas tried to overtake him.
The Asturian had described the penalty as unfair in subsequent meetings, and in France the incident was shown to all his teammates from the cameras of both cars, and from an aerial point of view.
Apparently Alonso’s forceful movement in the car was so unsubtle that it caused laughter in the room, with only the Spaniard and his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon disagreeing that she deserved a penalty.
As is customary at the drivers’ meeting, the stewards of the French Grand Prix, the four men who ultimately apply the penalties, were also present. None of them were involved in decisions about Austria’s actions, although the president, Gerd Ennser , was on call in the Alonso case in Canada.
It is not the first time that past incidents have been analyzed in detail in a drivers’ meeting, it already happened in his day with Whiting and Masi, but it was a novelty in 2022.
It’s also worth noting that the FIA has kept Wittich and Freitas away from journalists, a direct response to trying to avoid giving them the sort of limelight that Masi did.
What this also means is that the drivers and teams no longer receive any additional information from the international federation about the incidents via the media in the days after the races.
In the current tense environment, the drivers appreciated the cooperation of the new directors in France, with GPDA chief George Russell explaining: “I think we all want to sit together, see these incidents, get a bit of the drivers and try to understand the stewards’ thinking so that we can all get to the same place”.
“Ultimately, that’s what we all want, and we all want that consistency, but we have to understand what the stewards’ thought process is like at incidents, and they have to understand how we feel as well,” he said.
“I think it was constructive, and we probably need to have more of that,” added Russell, who was involved in one of the FIA’s chosen cases, so had a direct interest in what was discussed.
“To the letter, they followed the regulations,” he explained about his sanction in Austria. “And I was wrong, but sometimes you have to look on a case-by-case basis. If there is a car on the outside, it has the line, the air is clean, and it turns, and the driver inside has nowhere to go, even if he is in front, you will have a contact.
“It’s like a tackle in football, you can’t say ‘this is how you have to make a tackle, and that’s not the way it is’. Every time it’s different, and you have to give it that meaning when you compete,” he defended.
Albon, who escaped the penalty at the Red Bull Ring but still apologized to Vettel, spoke at the meeting: “I didn’t say it was my fault, I explained the reasons, what the stewards said, because I don’t think anyone in the courtroom he understood why I didn’t get a sanction, and why George [Russell] did.”
“So I gave the rationale, why the stewards said it,” the Anglo-Thai continued, agreeing that the video review was a useful exercise. “We know it’s not an easy job for the FIA, but it’s more about us understanding why, for example, George was given a penalty and I wasn’t, and how we can learn from the way stewards act.” .
“So that we, the drivers, also know how to fight on the track, that was what it was about,” said Williams.
Alonso, who has never taken too long to criticize the stewards when a penalty is imposed, also welcomed the opportunity to discuss: “I think it’s something to improve things and to show us some incidents, as well as explaining why they put penalties and why not”.
“I think it’s for the good of everyone, to try to understand their point of view better. You have to see it in the next Grands Prix, because it can have a double effect, because you see a video, and that was a penalty, then we will have it. in mind,” said the man from Oviedo. “It was the exact same thing, and why didn’t I get a penalty?”
“So we could have a series of videos to review which could be interesting. At least there is an approach on the part of the FIA that shows they are willing to improve things, doing everything possible, and thinking beyond, we never did that in the past,” said the Spaniard.
Others agreed that the videos were positive, such as Carlos Sainz: “It was very useful, because we managed to discuss between the drivers and the race directors why some incidents have a five-second penalty and others do not.”
“It was a pity that the stewards [in Austria] were not there to explain to us, but the race directors did their best to give us the indications, we will see if these meetings continue to help our mutual understanding,” the Ferrari man continued.
Lance Stroll also spoke about the meeting: “There were a lot of different opinions about a lot of things! As always there are, and for me the stewards are doing the best they can, I think we all know how to race, and sometimes it’s hard for them to be fair in making decisions.
“Because it’s like any sport, football and basketball, whatever, there are flags, penalties, which sometimes are fair for some and not for others. In the end, someone has to make that decision, and it’s not always easy” said the Canadian.
The discussion at Paul Ricard covered another controversial terrain. Sebastian Vettel, who left a heated briefing at the Austrian Grand Prix in frustration, and received a suspended €25,000 fine for it, wanted to talk about the sausage pianos [or ‘baguettes’].
It is not the first time that the German has stressed that several lower category drivers have suffered back injuries after colliding with similar curbs, and considers that they were not necessary in France.
The German was exasperated when told that they were needed for the Porsche SuperCup race. Freitas said he would think about it overnight, confirming in his updated notes on Saturday that the curbs had been removed from the corners in question.
“At least they have been removed,” Vettel said after the Grand Prix on French soil. “It’s an unnecessary risk, we’ve seen accidents many times in the past with those sausage pianos, so I don’t think they should come back.”
The German acknowledged that the meeting with Paul Ricard was useful: “I think we just want to talk to each other, open a dialogue and improve. It’s not that we’re making the rules, it’s just so that we understand what we’re not allowed to do, I think it’s good to talk.”
As has been pointed out before, it must not be forgotten that the sanctions are imposed by a group of stewards, and not by the race directors. Russell admitted that it would have been useful to keep at least one of the men who penalized him in Austria at the next appointment to give his insider’s point of view.
“You have the stewards from the current race weekend,” said the Mercedes man. “But I think that’s where we need a little more consistency, that at least one from a previous event goes to the next one to give these explanations.”
“We received some from the race director, it’s a job that makes us progress, for sure,” continued the Englishman.
The fact that the stewards change at each grand prix is a common issue raised by drivers. When they are called to testify for bad behavior, they never know what they are going to face.
It is interesting to note that, in the 12 races that have been run so far in 2022, a total of 27 men and women have acted as stewards. Among them are four permanent presidents [Ennser has been to four races, as have Garry Connelly, Nish Shettu, to three, and Tim Mayer, to one], and six different drivers’ stewards, alternating between Enrique Bernoldi, Danny Sullivan, Emanuele Pirro, Mika Salo, Derek Warwick, and Vitantonio Liuzzi.
The permanent chairs share and review information between tests, in an effort to promote consistency and their notions being passed on to others. However, it is inevitable that 27 people do not always have the same view of the same incident.
There used to be a single permanent chairman, but the teams rejected the concept because it was felt that a single person in charge might be biased. However, it may be time to reduce the number of curators you choose from.
“I think it would be in everyone’s interest to keep the same stewards at every race,” Russell said. “And even among the fans or the people in the paddock, if there is a certain accident, not everyone is going to have the same opinion.”
“But if it’s always the same point of view from one person, at least you’ll learn over time what their thinking is like, and that will make life a little easier. Like I said, we have to work together and find the best,” he said. the British.
“I don’t know if there are logistical limitations in this, I’m not informed enough to know, but we are all for it,” said the Mercedes man.
It’s also worth remembering that, a decade ago, the FIA held what was described as an “extremely productive” day-long meeting in Geneva, away from the tracks, where stewards and some drivers, as well as members of the teams exchanged opinions. Perhaps it is time to hold a similar meeting.
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