David Coulthard, a former Formula 1 driver and now a much sought-after commentator on British television channel Channel 4, urged the FIA to make more balanced and thoughtful decisions, targeting the fans in particular.
In particular, he referred to the events of the recent Japanese Grand Prix – and for a long time
a delayed start and a somewhat hazy ending, when even the race winner and the Red Bull Racing team were unaware that Max Verstappen had secured his second championship title.
“You have to see the picture in its entirety: I say this, taking into account limited budgets and all the talk about whether it is possible to drive Formula 1 cars in the rain,” Coulthard was quoted as saying by the London tabloid Daily Express . We’re in the entertainment business. But a week ago, figuratively speaking, we specifically waited for the end of the tide, and only then launched our boat. We knew it was going to rain and it all looked a little crazy.
And what happened after the race, of course, kept people following the course of events, and we had a topic of conversation, but from a purely sporting point of view it’s bad.
Formula 1 has taken a step forward after the transition to the new technical regulations, drivers can lead a tighter pursuit of rivals and we see that the race has become more interesting. Historically this was not always the case, because in our sport a factor like aerodynamics dominates. But in my opinion, the further we go in this direction, the better it will be for Formula 1.
And yet I believe there is still some division: there is no unity between the teams, the Liberty Media Corporation, which owns the commercial rights to the championship, and the FIA. There is no good harmony in these tripartite relationships. In order to better take into account the interests of the fans, they need more mutual understanding.
Sometimes we have to wait hours for the stewards’ verdict. I understand that the process of making such decisions should be as accurate as possible, but a week ago, fans around the world turned off their TVs and computers and went to bed before the official results were announced. It is also impossible.
In football, when the final whistle sounds, the game is over and there is no more appeal, that’s all. I agree that there should be an opportunity to appeal, and if someone’s engine does not meet the technical regulations, then such decisions can be made later. But this is not a sports problem. In general, referees and their assistants need to instill confidence in fans…”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
