Following one other weekend of monitor limits embarrassment for the game, FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem warns circuits to get their act collectively.
It wasn’t simply the sheer variety of penalties that had been handed out over the Qatar weekend however in lots of circumstances the dearth of velocity during which they had been handled.
Following Friday’s qualifying session, Lando Norris had his greatest time deleted and because of this Oscar Piastri attended the trackside interviews, which got here as a shock to the Sky presenter.
Nonetheless, in an extra twist the Australian then had his time deleted which promoted Lewis Hamilton to 3rd, simply in time for the official press convention.
Fortunately, on the finish of Sunday’s Grand Prix we did not witness the shambles seen beforehand in Austria, with solely Sergio Perez being demoted because of a late penalty.
Nonetheless, the entire thing left followers, groups and drivers pissed off and the game wanting novice. Once more.
Eager to keep away from any repeat, not least as a result of it places the FIA in a foul mild, Mohammed Ben Sulayem is looking on the circuits to get their act collectively by way of the monitor limits which have proved significantly haphazard this season.
“We had the identical situation in Austria,” he stated, “it was 1200 (violations). And I’ve to say, congratulations to the stewards as a result of they noticed it.
“However is that the answer? No,” he continued. “The answer is to enhance the monitor itself.
“I do know some are immune to it,” he admitted, “however to let you know the reality, if they do not, there isn’t a race. It is so simple as this. We won’t afford this.”
Including to the embarrassment of Qatar was the problem with the kerbs that noticed the FIA, along side Pirelli, revise the monitor limits at two corners, maintain a particular familiarisation session on Saturday morning and mandate a restrict on what number of laps the tyres could possibly be used for, thereby imposing a minimal three-stop technique on all drivers.
“We’ve got to work on an answer,” stated Ben Sulayem. “One of many options is to make it slippery once they go off. No one can cease the drivers besides the drivers themselves.
“We are able to consider the peak,” he stated if the kerbs. Does it injury the automobiles? Or perhaps there’s a chance of placing some gravel, however with gravel, we have now to be very cautious. How deep is the gravel? As a result of you do not need anybody to get caught. And the way large is the gravel? as a result of you do not need the automobile to be broken. It’s a steadiness.
“However I consider now it is not a matter of ‘Can we do it? We’ve got to do it. And we have now to hearken to the drivers primarily, to the suggestions from them.
“I must make it urgently as a result of it needs to be carried out for subsequent 12 months. We can not afford for it to proceed, particularly the place we see it on a regular basis.”
Requested about using expertise, Ben Sulayem claims that the FIA merely does not have the cash.
“Using expertise ought to be there,” he stated. “It’s being utilized in a whole lot of areas, however the FIA wants extra sources to speculate again into the game.
“I am not hiding right here,” he insisted, “we’d like extra sources. I imply, it is a $20bn operation right here and we can not run it on a shoestring.”
After all, the $20bn was a reference to the valuation F1 claimed had been placed on the game earlier this 12 months, a determine which Ben Sulayem disputed, and which in flip led to a authorized warning from the game’s homeowners.
With that determine in thoughts, the FIA president instructed a re-evaluation of the monetary settlement the game’s governing physique has with its homeowners.
“Our settlement needs to be higher,” he stated. “It’s important to keep in mind one factor, we personal the championship. I symbolize the owner, and we lease it. Our mission is totally different to Liberty however we’re in the identical boat. We shouldn’t be working this large accountability with a shoestring.
“We’re clear,” he added. “We inform individuals that is what it prices. Individuals are bragging about how a lot every F1 workforce is value, however the FIA ought to be free and have the sources to run it in the easiest way. Each time we’re higher, we make the groups higher and we make the game higher.”
