Sebastian Vettel was handed a €25,000 fine by the FIA, although he remains suspended for the rest of the season, after leaving Friday’s drivers’ meeting at the Red Bull Ring .
It has been known that the reasons that led the German to this behavior were the tensions over how the tests are being refereed in a year that has seen many changes in the direction of the race.
From the start of the season and following the dismissal of the previous race director, Michael Masi, the FIA made the decision that the position would rotate between Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas .
But this alternation has made the coherence of decisions and sanctions questionable. Likewise, the pilots go out on the track with some uncertainty about the rules that will be applied.
After the FIA announced that Vettel had been cited for his behavior at the drivers’ meeting, George Russell, Mercedes driver and director of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association), said “there has to be an element of consistency” in decisions, noting that there have been “a lot of decisions and maneuvers on the edge” so far this season.
When asked if the rotation of race directors was an issue, Russell was very clear in his answer: “Yes, I agree that we need to limit ourselves to one race director.”
“We need to have a little more consistency in terms of stewards’ decisions. We get to the next event and often the stewards from the previous event are not there. So no one takes responsibility, and there are no explanations for the decisions.”
“We ask questions and it’s hard to get a straight answer because there’s a little bit of blame being put on someone who isn’t there.”
“So it’s complicated. Everybody has their own interpretations.”
The FIA began to restructure its race operations in the wake of the controversial end of the 2021 season, when Masi failed to correctly apply at least two articles of sporting regulations.
These changes included the rotation between Wittich and Freitas, as well as the introduction of a new virtual race control room, similar to football’s VAR. Charlie Whiting’s former assistant, Herbie Blash , also returned to the FIA as an adviser.
Russell agreed that it was “not at all an easy job” for the officers, but stressed the need for consistency in decisions.
“Throughout the year a number of drivers have commented on it,” explained Russell. “I think when you have a race director things can be generally more consistent.”
Wittich has acted as race director for most of the races this year, and appears to have taken a much tougher approach to the drivers compared to previous years.
This has extended to issues such as wearing jewelry or the correct undergarments in the car, causing some drivers some frustration.
Track boundaries have also been something that Wittich has enforced more strictly, defining the white line as the edge of the track.
“It’s very difficult for us drivers to judge a white line, you can’t feel a white line,” Russell said.
“When you’re wheel to wheel, if you get pushed, you’re going to keep your foot down to try to attack at the end of the next corner. But if there’s gravel there or something else penalizing you, both drivers will approach it differently.
Asked if drivers feel heard by the FIA, Russell replied: “We feel heard, but they just can’t change the rules week after week when a driver says ‘I believe this’ or ‘I believe that’.
“They have to stand firm. But it needs to be applied consistently, to be clear to all of us. The sanctions have to be a little more consistent.”
“That will only be achieved if there is consistency on the part of the people who monitor the regulations.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he had heard drivers “got frustrated by the debate over the pit lane and where it should be”, following a last-minute adjustment to the event notes before it Saturday started.
“This is what I’ve heard, they’re messing around with issues that probably aren’t in the top 50,” Wolff said. “But I haven’t been there, so it’s rumours.”
