FIA meet F1 bosses: The key issues to discuss, including 'football VAR'
FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem will meet with F1 team bosses and race officials to discuss a range of “sporting matters” following the Italian Grand Prix.
The meeting will take place on Monday to discuss ways of improving the sport, particularly after a controversial weekend at Monza.
The F3 title-decider ended in debatable circumstances, with Victor Martins winning the championship under red flag conditions.
Fallout over ending to F1 Italian Grand Prix 2022
The drama continued into F1 with race finishing under the Safety Car due to Daniel Ricciardo’s stricken McLaren.
The subdued end to the race led to widespread criticism over the FIA’s slow retrieval of Ricciardo’s car, and the comparison to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
On this occasion, the FIA correctly followed their own rules at Monza (unlike in Abu Dhabi, 2021) but it still led to a number of complaints from the likes of Christian Horner and Mattia Binotto about how the race ended.
It’s likely that there will be discussions about potentially changing the rules when the race ends under the Safety Car.
“FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is convening a meeting with race officials and Formula 1 Team Managers on the Monday following the 2022 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix to discuss a range of sporting matters,” read a statement from the FIA.
“It follows a round of separate meetings held in Monza between the FIA President and a number of Formula 1 drivers.
“It is the first meeting of this type since 2013 and is part of the President’s ongoing mission to improve the standards of the sport, bringing together drivers, teams, stewards, officials in a collaborative way.”
New VAR-like system to be discussed
Bin Sulayem will also provide an update on F1’s new Remote Operations Centre - likened to football’s Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR).
Ahead of the 2022 campaign, the FIA announced that the ROC would be introduced to assist the stewards with their decision-making and improve consistency.
“Additionally, the FIA continues to invest in initiatives such as the Remote Operations Centre to support trackside operations and its advanced data technology capability. Examples of ROC activities will be shared at the meeting.
“The ROC provides an additional resource for the FIA to thoroughly replay and review aspects of the Competition and the decisions made in order to refine and improve procedures for the future. It does not have any regulatory power and cannot be used to reassess or alter past decisions.
“This meeting will form part of a series of consultations that will continue to shape the future direction of the sport under the guidance of the FIA President.”
