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The Guardian report a big disagreement: Formula 1 and FIA clash head-on
- GPblog.com
The relationship of the FIA and Formula 1 is under intense pressure. The Guardian reports the day after the Monaco Grand Prix that the premier class of motorsport is not happy with how the FIA is proceeding in 2022. According to sources, Liberty Media fears that decisions made by the governing body will harm the sport.
Problems in Monaco too
There has already been a series of incidents this season and there was another one in Monaco. First of all, the start of the race Sunday afternoon was delayed by almost an hour and then there was a rolling instead of standing start at the restart after the red flag. The FIA stated that it was due to faulty starting systems, but true or false: the criticism was huge. Lewis Hamilton, for example, spoke out in shame that the start was not as originally planned.
The popularity of Formula 1 has taken a flight in recent years, but such incidents do the image of the sport no good. It is the umpteenth incident this season and Formula 1 and the FIA, and in particular its new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, seem to clash more and more often. The fact that Ben Sulayem has taken over from Jean Todt has not been the best choice, according to F1.
F1 and FIA diametrically opposed
Formula 1 and the FIA have clashed on several occasions this year. Here's a list of the incidents according to The Guardian:
- The FIA report on the controversy surrounding the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is said to have been seen by many as very unsatisfactory.
- The FIA was put to shame when individual national racing bodies, such as Britain's Motorsport UK, banned Russian teams, participants or officials from participating in events in the UK. Formula 1 immediately proposed to cancel the Russian GP, but the FIA was very slow to act.
- The ban on jewelry has not gone down well with many. The measure is considered a pointless interference. It is believed that Ben Sulayem insisted on its enforcement.
- Ben Sulayem most personally opposed the unanimous agreement between F1 and all teams to increase the number of sprint races to six next year. The teams would not have been very happy about this, to say the least. The FIA wants to see financial compensation.
- In Miami, Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz repeatedly spoke about replacing the concrete guardrail at Turn 14 with one constructed of Tecpro material. The FIA refused.
Within Formula 1, high officials would like to see the role of the FIA severely curtailed. Bad publicity is something one wants to avoid at all times. So far, however, this has not gone smoothly.