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What is the status of the FIA Abu Dhabi review?
Sky Sports on Wednesday revealed how the situation was progressing in relation to the FIA’s investigation into the events of last month’s Abu Dhabi season finale.
The F1 board announced on December 15, three days after the now infamous result of the 2021 final race, that it had begun an “analysis and clarification exercise” of what had happened, with the aim of learning lessons for 2022.
The hosts gave their report in the week after the title race, and it was this week, starting on Monday, that the formal investigation phase of the investigation began.
Initiating the review process was one of former president Jean Todt’s last acts in office, as the Frenchman resigned on December 17 after 12 years in the job.
Newly elected FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem said he sent a text message to Lewis Hamilton in the wake of the events in Abu Dhabi.
Mohamed Ben Sulayem, the former Middle East multiple rally champion, was elected to place Todt. With the festive period now over, the fallout from Abu Dhabi and continuing uncertainty over Hamilton’s future are clearly the most notable elements of early 2022.
“He made it urgent to sort this out,” said Craig Slater of Bin Sulayem. “He wants to do it right, as soon as possible.”
3 February – The date of the first meeting of the World Motor Sport Council – is targeted as the last point at which the review and findings/recommendations will be completed.
What do we know about the process?
It is understood that Bin Sulayem himself is personally involved in this matter, along with other prominent figures on the Board of Directors.
Chief among them is Peter Baer, who is leading the investigation. Bayer is the FIA’s motorsport general secretary, who now also oversees single-seat matters on the board.
💬 FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem “is personally involved, has texted Lewis Hamilton, and wants to get it done right as soon as possible”
Craig Slater’s look at the ongoing investigation into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/8oYhQobt4i
– Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) January 12, 2022
The FIA said the process would be “comprehensive, objective and transparent”.
Bayer’s name was checked by Toto Wolff when the Mercedes chief said in his press conference in the days following the race that he had received assurances that changes would be made after Abu Dhabi.
The FIA had already said the review would include input from teams and drivers. The investigative team is seeking to speak to those who had central roles in the final race, including race director Michael Massey, the hosts and key team representatives. They’ll inevitably want to talk to Hamilton too, among the other drivers.
What does a review mean to check?
In its initial statement on the matter, the FIA acknowledged that the fallout from the season’s final laps and fan reaction was “distorting the image of the championship”, although subsequent events and arguments have also led to “creating major misunderstandings and reactions from Formula 1″. Teams, drivers and fans.”
The governing body said it wanted “to establish meaningful reactions and conclusions before the start of the 2022 season,” which begins in March.
Karon Chandhoek was on the SkyPad analyzing how the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were developing.
Karon Chandhoek was on the SkyPad analyzing how the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were developing.
Speaking at his appearance at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the month, Bin Sulayem said: “The integrity of the FIA, it is my job and my duty to protect it, but that does not mean we are not looking at our regulations, and if there is any improvement [to make], and we will.
“I said at my first press conference, This is not the book of God. This is the book of humans. It can be improved and changed by humans. So that’s it.”
What is the latest news about Massey’s future?
The F1 race director has been kept in the eye of the storm over his handling of the safety car late in the race. As a result, his future in one of the sport’s leading roles has been under intense scrutiny.
Sky Sports has learned that several teams expressed their lack of confidence in the Australian during the 2021 season, when criticism and controversy arose about the consistency of decisions taken by the race management even before Abu Dhabi.
Michael Massey has been the Formula One racing director since Charlie Whiting passed away in 2019.
“Is it the case now that his position is untenable?” Slater reflects. “Does the announcement of his departure as race director perhaps at least by the FIA signal a fresh start in this sense?
“He is a good man, he is a very good man, I have enjoyed dealing with him on a personal basis, but is there now a lot of noise around his position?”
Mercedes has denied any barter deals have been made. Speaking at his pre-Christmas press conference, Wolf said transparency was of paramount importance in the post-Abu Dhabi investigation: “In the day and age of transparency, such decisions can no longer be made in back-end deals.
“Why I’m optimistic is that most stakeholders in the sport will share my frustration with the decisions that have been made throughout the year. Everyone who’s racing, you guys, us, knows what happened. However, I have confidence that we will all be pulling the same rope in the same direction.” I’ve had feedback from the teams and from the drivers.”
What does Mercedes want to happen with the parade?
Angry, bewildered and horrified by the sequence of events that led to Hamilton’s world title loss to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the season, Mercedes initially protested the race result to the stewards.
This appeal was dismissed, with the result that Mercedes submitted its intention to take the case to the International Automobile Federation’s Court of Appeal. They eventually decided not to go this route, but only after talks with the FIA and a promise from the governing body that it would begin a full review of what had happened.
But that doesn’t mean the team’s sense of injustice has been reduced in any way.
Sky Sports’ Craig Slater understands that the FIA has set aside three weeks to decide on the controversial events of the Abu Dhabi World Grand Prix.
Sky Sports’ Craig Slater understands that the FIA has set aside three weeks to decide on the controversial events of the Abu Dhabi World Grand Prix.
Describing himself and Hamilton as “disappointed” about what happened, Wolff said Massey’s “free reading of the rules” about safety car use had “stolen” Hamilton from the title.
Mercedes has made it very clear that the onus is now on the FIA to act and make concrete changes.
“We will hold them accountable for their actions because we cannot continue in a sport that is supposed to be sport followed by entertainment and not the other way around,” Wolff said.
“We charge ransom with ad hoc decisions that are made in every field, whether it’s technical or sporting, so there must be clear pre-season procedures in place so that every driver, every team and fans understand what’s on and what’s not running.”
What does that mean for Hamilton?
Given that Mercedes has made it clear that it has been in line with its star driver every step of the way in approaching the days immediately following Abu Dhabi, it can be assumed that this is still the case a month later as the team and star driver await a satisfactory outcome from the FIA inquiry.
Indeed, as Craig Slater reported on Sky Sports News on Monday, it is understood that F1’s future for the seven-times champion remains unclear six weeks before winter testing and that the outcome of the FIA’s investigation is key to resolving it.
The seven-time world champion has not given any interviews or posted on social media since speaking in the immediate aftermath of the race before the podium.
Experience the stunning finale of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the cars of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton and listen to the team’s radios, including Hamilton saying the race has been “rigged”.
Experience the stunning finale of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the cars of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton and listen to the team’s radios, including Hamilton saying the race has been “rigged”.
Indeed, his only comment on the events of the last laps came through the onboard radio channels, when he said “this has been messed up” as he circled the final corners of the race after being overtaken by Verstappen, who was on newer tyres.
“It was put like this: the longer it went on, the worse Lewis Hamilton’s situation was,” Slater said.
Hamilton, who chose not to attend the FIA’s end-of-season awards ceremony, may not be the world champion, but he remains the biggest name and tie-breaker in Formula One. After signing Mercedes’ new two-year contract last summer and talking enthusiastically about this year’s new-look sports cars, the fact that his return has yet to be confirmed underscores his understandable dread over how Abu Dhabi will develop.
Craig Slater reports that Lewis Hamilton’s return to Formula 1 is pending on the FIA’s results regarding the last lap controversy in Abu Dhabi and how the FIA should act in the future.
Craig Slater reports that Lewis Hamilton’s return to Formula 1 is pending on the FIA’s results regarding the last lap controversy in Abu Dhabi and how the FIA should act in the future.
Although still hypothetical at this point, Mercedes will almost certainly have to look to its contract drivers over rivals if they are suddenly asked to find a replacement for the sport’s most successful driver ever.
23-year-old George Russell took Valtteri Bottas’s place in the other seat and the first photos of the Briton, who has raced Williams for three seasons, in the team kit were posted on Mercedes’ social media channels this week.
Pre-season testing begins in Barcelona on February 23, with the all-new 2022 cars for F1 set to be launched by teams in two weeks before that date. Release dates have not been confirmed.
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