FIA president calls for full time F1 stewards – Whilst the 2024 Formula One season was one of the finest in history with seven drivers winning multiple races for he first time ever, the show was at times clouded by decisions made by race control and the stewards. Kevin Magnussen became the first F1 driver to be banned for a race under the totting up penalty points system where once a driver reaches twelve points on his super license he is forced to sit the next Grand Prix weekend out.

Returning to the paddock after sotting out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Dane joked that now with a clean license he could do whatever he liked. “You get punished, and then you come back, and you’re, like, all ready to… f— s— up now!” Magnussen mocked. “It’s funny how that works.”

Max Verstappen received his first points of the year in Austria for taking out McLaren’s Lando Norris as they battled for the lead. Yet despite the ongoing debate about his driving standards, it would be Mexico City before his net transgression which added more ink to his license. Points in Brazil and Qatar were awarded for Verstappen driving too slowly and at the season finale he was pushed again for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri on the opening lap.

 

 

 

 

Magnussen first driver banned for points

Magnussen’s ban caused some discussion in the paddock whether the offences he had committed were in fact worthy of such penalties, but on the whole points awarded to the drivers by the FIA race stewards were fairly non-controversial.

Where the FIA officials did come under fire was for their judgement of who was to blame and whether the non-points based penalties were inconsistent. In Austin Texas, Lando Norris attempted an overtake going into turn twelve. The McLaren driver had completed the overtake on the outside along the straight, yet Verstappen brake much later than Norris and crucially made the apex of the turn first.

The stewards deemed Max to have the right to defend the corner, failing to take into account Norris had already completed the move. Having secured the corner as his, Verstappen predictable ran wide with both himself and Norris leaving the track. Norris came out ahead and was subsequently penalised by the stewards for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, yet Verstappen got away Scott free given the corner was his and the matter was treated as a strike against his tally of track limits excursions.

The COTA paddock was in uproar and it quickly came to light that the FIA each year publishes a secret set of guidelines on driving standards only for the eyes of thew stewards and the race director. As it happened, the stewards had followed the guidelines to the letter given Max had dive bombed the apex, the corner was his.

 

 

 

Max hectic last four races with stewards

Next up was Mexico City where the world champion was to suffer the biggest penalty of the year for in a single race. Following Carlos Sainz retaking the lead from the Dutch driver, Lando Norris closed in heaping there pressure on Max. As they approached Turn 4, Norris launched an attack on the outside but Verstappen robustly defended, running late on the brakes and forcing the McLaren to cut the corner and rejoin ahead of Verstappen in second place.

Verstappen gave chase and dived down the inside of Norris at Turn 8, but didn’t make the corner and instead cut across it. That move forced Norris to go off track too, and when they rejoined Verstappen was in third with Norris fourth – Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc having slipped past into second.

Norris was furious, describing Verstappen’s actions as “dangerous” on team radio. Then came the news Verstappen had received two ten second time penalties for each incident, which he was forced to serve at the subsequent pit stop. On finding he had a penalty in Abu Dhabi, Max fumed over team radio: “Could we ask for 20 seconds? Stupid idiots,” he said referring to his 20 second penalty in Mexico.

The stewards have a range ‘in race’ punishments they can apply anything from a five or ten second time penalty, to drive through or even stop and go punishments. This year it was noticeable that a number of driver infringements which in 2023 would have received a five second punishment, now had become ten seconds. 

 

 

 

The rise of the ten second time penalty

The probable reason for this is the criticism which has been levied in recent years where drivers are handed down a five second penalty and it does little to affect the result of their race. Famously, Lewis Hamilton in Silverstone 2021 clipped the back of Verstappen’s Red Bull at the high speed copse corner, was handed a five second penalty and went on to win the race.

It is of course farcical when a driver is penalised for ending another race, but it has no bearing on his final classified position. Yet the shift to issue more ten second penalties this year failed to prevent for example, Kevin Magnussen crawling around the sections of the Jeddah track, holding up a host of fellow competitors then flooring his Haas at the points where overtakes were possible.

The Dane was doing this to build a sufficient gap to his team ate ahead, so Hulkenberg to make his pit stop and return ahead of Magnussen and his prisoners.

Yet the real beef about stewarding came late in the season following the string of driving punishment Verstappen received across the final four Grand Prix from Mexico to Abu Dhabi. And predictably it was Red Bull’s pit bull Dr. Helmet Marko who started the date in the paddock following the two ten second penalties his driver received in Mexico.

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Marko calls out steward bias

Speaking to OE24, Marko commented: “The heavy penalty for our driver was meant to set an example. The problem is that sometimes the stewards decide this and other times this. There is no clear line, there is no consistency.”

“There should be uniform rules. We don’t necessarily need ex-drivers, we need professional stewards: Neutral people who make objective judgements according to fixed rules. This is where the FIA comes in,” said the Austrian. Of course Dr. Marko was referring to English steward and ex-F1driver Johnny Herbert who he has accused of having bias towards the British drivers and against Max Verstappen.

Herbert had criticised Max for having a “horrible mindset” in Mexico but claimed this was not his opinion as a steward, but as an F1 pundit. Another can of worms now opened.

Now FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says F1 is on a place where greater consistency and full time stewards are the way to go.

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FIA president agrees full time stewards more consistent

“When things come down to interpretation, and when things are about consistency, you can argue if you were to have the same stewards week in, week out, the consistency will be better because they’re interpreting things in the same manner and the drivers understand exactly what they expect in a given circumstance,” he said.

“So I do feel – again a personal view, not one of on behalf of the drivers, but personal view – I do think we’re at a point now in this sport that we do need a full-time professional steward where they earn a real salary.”

But here comes the crunch. “It’s very nice talk,” he told Motorsport.com about the calls for a change. “But when they say professional, and they want professional, they don’t want to pay for it. That is so obvious.”

A full time panel of professional stewards, including salaries, travel and accommodation, depending on how the rotation was handled, could in reality cost the FIA between $5m and $10m. “So if FOM is writing a cheque – which they are – to the FIA, but the scope of work says ‘part-time stewards’ and F1 wants something different, then that is different, and it comes with a new price,” Ben Sulayem concludes.

So it’s over to Stefano Domenicali and the execs at Liberty Media, as the FIA have now placed the matter firmly in their court. In a sport which raises billions each season, its ridiculous such a small amount cannot be found to improve the professionalism of its referees.

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Red Bull “afraid” to hold post test press session

The 2024 Formula One season has been the longest in history and for the teams and their personnel there was a general air of weariness in the paddock for the Abu Dhabi finale. Red Bull have had a trying year after their uber dominant season in 2023 despite the fact Verstappen won four of the five races at the start of the year.

This could easily have been five from five as in Australia Max was prevented from driving for the win when his RB20 suffered a mechanical problem and he was forced to retire early in the race.

Come the end of the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull reached the zenith of their lead this year over the chasing pack as they sat 71 points ahead of McLaren their closest rival. The in season development of the RB20 then imploded which meant from Spain Verstappen would suffer a barren winless streak of ten weekends, before his glorious drive to victory in the monsoon which swept across Interlagos… READ MORE