It is to be hoped that it will not come to that, but it could well happen this weekend that a (time) penalty from the FIA stewards will determine the battle for the world title. Especially after the tumultuous race in Saudi Arabia. Who will make the decisions this weekend?
Chief steward no fan of Verstappen
One of the stewards on duty this weekend was already known, Garry Connelly. This is not good news for Max Verstappen. The Australian was often involved in (controversial) penalties for the Dutchman in the past. In Saudi Arabia, Connelly was one of the stewards who even gave Verstappen two time penalties. Connelly has worked as a steward for the FIA since 1989.
The second steward is Felix Holter, who is also the permanent chairman of the DTM stewards. The German has been working as a steward since 2007 and a member of the FIA International Stewards Panel since 2018. The national steward is Mohamed Alhashmi, head of road safety at Abu Dhabi Municipality. Alhashmi was also a steward at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
British driver as steward
Every race there is also a (former) driver who is appointed as steward. This time it is Derek Warwick. The Briton was active in Formula 1 from 1981 to 1993 and is currently vice president of the FIA Drivers' Commission and a regular FIA driver steward as well as being a former president of the British Racing Drivers' Club. It is to be hoped for Verstappen that Warwick is not too chauvinistic.
