Lewis Hamilton
Committee: Formula 1 (F1)
Driver: Lewis Hamilton (44)
Delegate: Kanish Kannan Srinivasan
Agenda: Evaluating the consequences of FIA policy-driven interference on the fairness and
flow of Formula 1 racing.
Although Formula 1 (F1) is at the pinnacle of motorsport, not only defined by speed, but also
by the innovation of the team and the individual skills of each driver, its integrity is under a
threat. The ever-growing threat of over regulation by the Fédération Internationale de
l'Automobile (FIA), causing an alarming shift in the balance of power resulting in both F1
prioritizing entertainment over the sport and the safety of the drivers.
These interferences which compromise the fairness of the championship and the flow of the
racing spectacle range from micro-managing driver attire to manipulating Safety Car
procedures to “add some spice to the show”. The consequence is a confusion for the fans and
a frustration for the teams and drivers, leading many to wonder, does the FIA exist to serve
the sport, or is it attempting to mold the sport into a scripted drama?
Past Actions:
A Spicer Show: The most outstanding example of an interference by the FIA occurred at the
2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (GP). The Race Director, under immense pressure concluded to
prevent the race from finishing behind a Safety Car by overriding the regulations regarding
unlapping cars. This "human error," as admitted by the FIA in their own investigation, was a
direct result of prioritizing the flow of the show over the fairness of the sporting regulations.
And this also led to Lewis Hamilton to losing his 8th World Championship.
Inconsistent Stewarding: Races are constantly interrupted by penalties and red flags that vary
wildly every race weekend. Let’s revisit the time when in the 2021 Brazil GP, Verstappen
pushed Hamilton off the track and the stewards called it “hard racing” and didn’t even
investigate it properly, but when Verstappen himself pulled almost the same move on Norris
in the 2024 Mexican GP, he was given a 10 second penalty. This inconsistency originates
from the changing panel of stewards, each bringing different interpretations to the board and
the lack of a permanent and skilled body of stewards implies that drivers will never truly
know where the boundary lies between when they are penalized and when they are not.
Personal Autonomy: In 2022, the FIA put forward a new rule banning drivers from wearing
jewellery in the cockpit. It targeted specific drivers who have worn jewellery safely for
decades, and it felt more like a power play rather than a genuine safety concern. Most
recently, the update to the International Sporting Code which prohibits "political, religious,
and personal statements" without prior approval has taken on an attacking effect on the
opinion of the drivers. And the supporters of this new rule need to know that drivers are not
just puppets but are citizens with an influence over people allowing them to advocate on a
humongous number of topics. The FIA is interfering with the fundamental rights of the
drivers by attempting to silence their opinions as this policy just alienates the personalities of
the drivers and does not improve the race in any way.
Proposed Solutions:
Automated Officiating Systems:
In order to decrease the risk of “human error” and possible control of the race, the use of
technology must be introduced at the places where it is suitable to take away subjective
decisions from the process.
Mechanism: The use of automated sensors for Track Limits and a uniform, software secured
Safety Car procedure where no manual intervention by a Race Director can override it.
Benefit: This ensures that what happened in the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP will not happen again. If
the computer decides that unlapping procedures cannot be completed in time, the race ends
under Safety Car. And this will make sure that fairness is always the priority over
entertainment.
Establishment of a permanent and skilled Stewarding Panel:
The present system of steward rotation is the sole cause for this inconsistency. It would be
best for the FIA to enforce the establishment of a permanent and skilled Stewarding Panel
composed of paid, full-time officials who will be visiting every Grand Prix.
Mechanism: This body will undertake a standardized and uniform training, and they will
also be debriefed after each race to guarantee that each instance is honoured.
Benefit: This ensures that the rules of engagement remain constant for everyone at any given
time, thus preserving the fairness of the championship.
Ensuring Drivers’ opinions are heard and valued:
A compulsory change to the Sporting Code is suggested which restricts FIA involvement only
to issues involving physical safety and technical compliance in the strictest manner possible.
Rules on personal expression (jewellery, clothing, speech) should be made more lenient
unless a direct, data-supported safety risk is at bay.
Benefit: This enables the sport to shift from administrative disputes to racing and helps
rekindle the relationship between the drivers and the FIA.
I firmly believe it is essential to bring back the spirit of this sport, where the glory of racing
lies in wheel-to-wheel fights and not on the FIA’s wavering verdicts.
Bibliography:
1. Article Title: “FIA release findings and recommendations after 2021 Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix analysis”
Article Link: [Link]
recommendations-after-2021-abu-dhabi-grand-prix.6s9WjlpZowvwyktbmVpQ3I
2. Article Title: “Top F1 drivers think Safety Car process set up restart crash”
Article Link: [Link]
process-set-up-restart-crash/
3. Article Title: “Hamilton: I don’t know if FIA stewards are aware of weight of their
decisions”
Article Link: [Link]
doesnt-know-if-fia-stewards-are-aware-of-weight-of-their-decisions-mexico-city-gp-
sao-paulo-gp-max-verstappen-scuderia-ferrari-formula-1/
4. Article Title: “Hamilton on jewellery ban: FIA should have 'bigger fish to fry'”
Article Link: [Link]
[Link]
5. Article Title: “‘Nothing will stop me’: Lewis Hamilton defiant in face of possible FIA
censure”
Article Link: [Link]
lewis-hamilton-defiant-in-face-of-possible-fia-censure-f1