Farcical calls for F1 change amidst claims Piastri was “robbed” – Formula One is in a new era under the ownership of Liberty Media. Gone are the days when FOM protects all intellectual property rights to the term “F1” and hounds independent websites to change their names due to these rights.

Now F1 marketing is all about interaction with the fans. It is the fans who flood the internet with F1 posts which stir up debate and provide the all important clicks which see the sport hitting the headlines week in and out.

A number of decisions made since Liberty brought out the commercial rights to the sport have been to encourage this fan engagement, one of which is the vote for driver of the day on Sunday. Now a number of approved news outlets are calling for this vote to be dropped given the decisions by the fans this season have often been out of keeping with the ‘expert broadcasters’ views.

 

 

 

Piastri outvoted by P8 Antonelli

The first sign of trouble came in round two in China this year, where Oscar Piastri won his maiden F1 race. Yet it was Kimi Antonelli who captivated the fans vote despite starting and finishing in P8. Whilst this wouldn’t appear to be a feat worthy of the accolade, Antonelli had mounted a series challenged to Verstappen during the early stages of the race and went on to manage his second set of tyres for a miraculous 44 laps to the chequered flag, all whilst suffering ‘extensive floor damage.’

Next time out in Japan, despite Verstappen claiming g a remarkable pole position and holding off the faster McLaren cars for the entirety of the Grand Prix in Suzuka, it was local hero Yuki Tsunoda who was the fans favourite for his struggles in the RB21 for the first time. Next up was Lewis Hamilton wining the award in Bahrain for racing from 9th to 5th whilst Oscar Piastri was racking up his second career victory of the year.

For losing his prime position in pole and coming second to Piastri in Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen became the fans favourite for the day after his struggles to keep the McLaren driver honest for his third win of the year. Finally in Miami the Aussie was to earn the favour of the fans, for his third win in a row and taking the lead in the drivers’ title race.

Again in Imola it was the race winner who captivated the fans attention and in Monaco local hero Charles Leclerc was given the honour for his battling P2 against the might of the McLaren duo. And whilst a number of these decisions appeared to baffle a number of the F1 broadcasters, there was little uproar until the vote closed come the final lap in Barcelona.

Surprising choice of new team mate for Russell

 

 

 

Rage against Verstappen winning fans vote

Max Verstappen was the fans favourite last weekend in Spain and now there are calls for the vote to be scrapped. The argument goes as follows, ‘despite his five wins of the year, Oscar Piastri has just one driver of the day award from the fans – this cannot be right.’

Senior sport’s writer Sam Goodwin had this to say in his column: “On Sunday it [the fans award[ went to Verstappen despite the Red Bull driver finishing 10th after copping a 10-second penalty for deliberately colliding with George Russell. Verstappen started in P3 and crossed the finish line fifth, before he was relegated to 10th on the back of the penalty. But fans still thought he was good enough to get driver of the day, completely robbing Piastri of the top honour.”

Clearly the notion that Piastri was ‘robbed’ is Goodwin’s personal opinion, which is not in line with the masses who voted online. And if driver of the day is merely awarded to the driver who leads the race from pole to chequered flag in what by consensus is the best F1 car, what is the point of the fun vote from the fans, many of whom have partisan preferences amongst the drivers?

Goodwin continues: “The Aussie is currently on 186 points in the driver standings, 10 ahead of Norris and 51 ahead of Verstappen. But fans reckon Verstappen has been more worthy of the driver of the day honour than Piastri.” He goes on to outline the controversies of Verstappen’s day and the stewards judgement which saw him demoted to tenth place for a low speed driving infringement with George Russell.

Stroll set for F1 retirement

 

 

 

Fan engagement good for Liberty Media

Of course there were fans also outraged by their colleagues decision in the vote, one posting: “Laughable. The sooner driver of the day is scrapped the better.” Another said: “Driver of the day is a farce. No way in hell Max deserved it over Piastri.” Whilst a third added: “This driver of the day thing is bulls**t. Oscar Piastri is top of the world drivers championship, has won 5 races, 4 poles and only has one driver of the day. What a joke.”

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion and Liberty Media for one will be delighted with the outpouring of the online debate which merely serves to promote the sport higher in the search engines rankings.

The point of the driver of the day vote is not to enshrine in a hall of fame one particular driver who on a given day has overcome significant difficulties and outperformed expectations. Yet it does recognise their achievements at a single moment in time and above all is a bit of fun for the various sections of the F1 audience.

Calls for F1 race rule change after Spanish GP

 

 

 

Max deserved the award for his audacious attempt

Verstappen’s audacious attempt at a three stop race in Barcelona almost paid off as McLaren boss Andrea Stela later admitted. This shone brightly against the history of one stop processions at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the top drivers all follow each other line astern making no effort to break the chain.

In fact Max was most unlucky with the late safety car, given with ten laps remaining he had been consistently closing the gap on Lando Norris in the mighty McLaren MCL39. This alone was a feat considered not possible just three race weekends ago, given McLaren have a significant tyre wear advantage over the rest of the field.

For his attempt at a three stop strategy which created strategic interest in the Spanish GP at a circuit where overtaking is difficult, you can argue Max deserves the driver of the day award hands down. Some folk should learn a vote is a democratic moment in time and whether we agree with the result or not, others are entitles to their opinions regardless of our own.

 

 

 

Verstappen treated “harshly” says ex-F1 team boss

Like him or not, Max Verstappen is a generational talent F1 is fortunate to have in its lineup of competitors. His four consecutive F1 driver titles have not all been won in the best car, as say did most of Hamilton’s and his bid to equal Michael Schumacher’s five in a row has only been attempted by three other drivers in the history of the sport.

Without some miraculous intervention, now 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri it appears Verstappen will not join Schumacher with the ‘magic’ five in a row. Whilst the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix will be remembered for just one moment, this was an epic challenge taken on by Red Bull Racing, to break the mould of racing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The annual trip to Barcelona has been an illusion for over three decades, the drivers and teams go racing less than they expect to do in Monaco. With 32 wins from the front row in 35 Grand Prix held in the suburb of Montmelo, the tale of F1 racing here is told in a moment…. READ MORE