The International Automobile Federation has bowed to the demands of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes and has announced that it will investigate what happened at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that proclaimed Max Verstappen the new world champion. With the British’s continuity in Formula 1 still up in the air, the FIA , with its new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the helm, adopts this conciliatory measure with the seven-time world champion and opens a process that will involve the drivers themselves. Will it have the participation of Hamilton himself?
“The FIA has started the detailed analysis of the events of the last Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix . The FIA president launched a consultation with all F1 teams on various issues, including this one. On January 19, an item on the agenda of the Sports Advisory Committee will be dedicated to the use of the Safety Car . The next stage will be a shared discussion with all the F1 drivers. The result of the detailed analysis will be presented to the F1 Commission in February and the final decisions will be announced at the World Motor Sports Council in Bahrain on March 18 », details the FIA in a statement.
In addition, the international federation adds that Mohammed Ben Sulayem “has asked the Secretary General for Sport and the recently appointed director of single-seaters, Peter Bayer , for proposals to review and optimize the organization of the FIA F1 structure for the 2022 season.”
FIA Statement # F1 pic.twitter.com/SQXKxK5LOG
– FIA (@fia) January 13, 2022
This second announcement calls into question the future of important figures such as the racing director, Michael Masi , heavily criticized by Mercedes since the controversial outcome of the last World Cup . This week, the British press has assured that Hamilton has asked the FIA to fire Masi as an essential condition to continue in the competition. A complete ultimatum.
While all these events continue to unfold around him, the seven-time world champion maintains his silence and it is his boss at Mercedes, Toto Wolf f, who does not miss the opportunity to remember that his anger has not abated since December 13, when Verstappen turned the World Cup in the last breath and left the German team with honey on their lips.
