Should The FIA Have An Annual F1 Officiating Review?

During its pre-race coverage of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, British broadcaster Sky Sports F1had a sit-down interview with the reigning world champion Max Verstappen. The topic of discussion quickly turned to the FIA’s reaction to the controversial conclusion of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. During which the Dutch driver said, “But also for me, these kind of investigations should happen every single year because I think as an organization, as a team, you always want to try and improve and do things better.” Verstappen also praised that the Abu Dhabi report was made available to the general public.

So far, Ben Sulayem’s presidency has focused on improving the transparency of FIA operations. A month before the report’s release, the FIA President directly addressed the public in a pre-recorded video statement. In the address, he succinctly stated the massive changes made to F1 race officiation before this season. More people likely watched the address across social media than ever went onto the FIA’s website to dig up a document to read through.

It would be a welcome change to see the FIA hold itself to account every year. Considering the implementation of the new supplemental Virtual Race Control room, it’s clear that Mohammed Ben Sulayem has the desire to make significant changes at the FIA and transform the body into a more responsible governing body. Only time will tell if the new President will keep up the pace of his first four months in office.