Sainz Proposes Ex-F1 Drivers to Resolve Stewarding Issues
Carlos Sainz suggests F1 could solve its persistent stewarding issues by having recently retired drivers on FIA panels. He argues that their contemporary insights, akin to those of current F1 analysts, offer superior judgment compared to the sport's confusing guidelines, which he believes create more problems than solutions. This proposal aims to bring more clarity and consistency to F1's incident rulings.
Carlos Sainz suggests that Formula 1 could significantly reduce ongoing stewarding controversies by integrating two or three recently retired F1 drivers into the FIA's race-control panels. He argues that their contemporary racing insights frequently offer clearer, more consistent judgments compared to the sport's current, often-debated driving-guidelines system.
Why it matters:
The consistency and fairness of stewarding decisions have been a contentious topic in F1 for years, leading to driver frustration and fan confusion. Implementing a system that leverages direct, recent racing experience could significantly enhance the sport's integrity and perceived impartiality, addressing a critical area of ongoing debate within the paddock and among F1 enthusiasts.
The Details:
- Current System Frustration: Sainz, a Williams driver and GPDA director, highlights that the current guidelines, intended to clarify incident judgments, have instead generated new problems and widespread confusion among drivers.
- Analyst Model: He points to the work of broadcaster analysts like Karun Chandhok, Jolyon Palmer, and Anthony Davidson, whose post-race incident breakdowns are consistently praised by current drivers for their accurate and nuanced verdicts.
- 'No Guidelines' Ideal: Sainz envisions a future where there are “no guidelines” but instead, a panel of ex-drivers capable of judging incidents with the same clarity and accuracy demonstrated by these analysts.
- High-Level Analysis: Sainz is particularly impressed by the “very high level” of analysis provided by these ex-drivers, noting that their judgments often align with how current drivers perceive on-track incidents, achieving close to 90% correctness.
- Problems with Guidelines: He asserts that the guidelines often force stewards into making black-and-white decisions, leaving little to no room for “racing incidents.” This rigidity, he believes, has inadvertently created more problems than solutions.
- Call for Discussion: Ahead of a crucial meeting between F1 drivers and the FIA in Qatar, Sainz emphasized the need for all parties to calmly analyze incidents, seeking a better solution for the future beyond the current guideline system.
What's next:
The discussions between F1 drivers and the FIA in Qatar are critical. If Sainz's proposal gains traction, it could lead to a significant overhaul of how F1 incidents are judged, potentially ushering in a new era of more consistent and driver-respected stewarding. The push for ex-drivers to play a more direct role reflects a growing desire within the sport to ground official judgments more firmly in actual racing experience.