Category: FIA

Chasing Legends or Cheating Legacy? Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and the Fight for a Fair Championship.

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

Jenson Button fought against all odds, against the voices that implored he would never make it. He dragged his car to the finish line, and after years of trying, he finally achieved his dream of winning a Championship.

Aryton Senna destroyed himself, his limbs, and his car to become World Champion to the point he could not even hold a trophy above his head. He lost his life chasing Michael Schumacher for the World Championship.

Lewis Hamilton’s parents worked multiple jobs to get him into karting, and Nico Rosberg tried to protect him from racially motivated bullying. Lewis Hamilton was the first Black driver in Formula One, he won nine consecutive podiums in his first nine races, tied Michael Schumacher’s WDC record, and faced adversity at every turn.

Nico Rosberg was determined to prove that he, too, was a World Champion Driver, not in the shadow of his best friend Lewis Hamilton. The man who could only eat the cereal they used to share the weekend leading up to him winning the World Championship.

Max Verstappen was the little boy the Formula One world tried to protect against his father, the youngest-ever driver to win a Grand Prix. A figure that dominated the 2022 season in the same flame as Michael Schumacher.

Oscar Piastri, a future World Champion, was unjustly given team orders to switch with McLaren’s first driver, Lando Norris. The man who dominated Formula 2 and reached the second-highest rookie points after Lewis Hamilton is his teammate in his sixth season. The driver who outperformed in his second season is his teammate in his sixth season.

It is not fair.

If Lando Norris cannot win a championship on his merit, he does not deserve one.

It is a blatant disrespect to past World Driver Champions who fought their entire career for the honour of holding the trophy, fought adversity throughout, and destroyed their cars and bodies to drag across the finish line.

McLaren ordered Oscar Piastri to swap with Lando Norris in the Brazil 2024 Sprint, a crucial race that could potentially determine the outcome of the championship.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are fighting this championship in cars that could never compete with a McLaren.

Oscar Piastri has taken orders at his home race since the beginning of the 2024 season to switch with Lando Norris, his teammate at McLaren.

Oscar Piastri deserves a place in the fight for the championship.

Are FIA Penalties Consistent? Analysing the Verstappen Rule, Hamilton’s Experiences, and the Future of Formula One.

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

Max Verstappen was handed a twenty-second penalty during the Mexico Grand Prix 2024 for leading Lando Norris off the track with his defensive tactics.

This penalty follows a controversial five-second Lando Norris penalty in the Austin Grand Prix 2024.

After the Austin race, the FIA stewards rejected McLaren’s Right of Review Petition, concluding that Verstappen, as the defending driver, was not required to give Norris room to pass.

Max Verstappen has used this FIA grey area, a term used to describe the ambiguity in the rules that allows for interpretation, to his advantage his entire career.

Following the 2016 United States Grand Prix, the FIA clarified its rules regarding defensive driving, commonly called the Verstappen Rules.

These guidelines include:

  • No Moving Under Braking
  • Safe and Predictable Defence

An illustrative example of these rules being applied against Verstappen occurred during the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton executed a defensive manoeuvre against him.

The disparity in how these rules are enforced raises questions, particularly after Verstappen’s twenty-second penalty in Mexico. While some view the penalty as overly harsh, it also prompts speculation about potential agendas.

Following the contentious 2021 Championship, the FIA acknowledged human error in handling race regulations during the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The race director at the time, Michael Masi, was replaced after the late deployment of a safety car led to a disputed finish, significantly impacting the championship outcome of two drivers with 369.5 points.

The order of unlapping during this incident allowed Verstappen to close the large gap to Hamilton, leading to his dramatic final lap pass.

An additional lap with a safety car was not completed, nor was a complete unlapping.

Only five cars were able to unlap under the safety car.

Throughout the 2021 season, the FIA’s penalties played a pivotal role in the competitive and extremely aggressive landscape. A similar scenario unfolded at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hamilton overcame adversity to win. Had Verstappen faced penalties in Brazil akin to those issued in Mexico, the championship’s outcome could have been vastly different.

Max Verstappen’s unchecked aggression by the FIA would have cost Lewis Hamilton his life at Monza 2021 if not for the invention of the halo (followed by Jules Bianchi’s death in the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix).

This only resulted in a three-place grid penalty. In comparison, Pierre Galsy received a ten-place grid penalty for a new power unit, which almost every driver this season has gone over.

The complex relationship between the FIA and Lewis Hamilton has come under scrutiny, particularly regarding allegations of racial bias. As the first and only Black driver in Formula One, Hamilton’s success story has attracted both admiration and criticism, and the perception of differential treatment raises uncomfortable questions about the sport’s integrity.

Why, then, does Lando Norris receive this special treatment and not Lewis Hamilton?

Is there a desire to end Verstappen’s dominance in the same way as Hamilton’s dominance?

Or is there an underlying racial motivation for removing Lewis Hamilton’s eighth world title, which would have placed him above Michael Schumacher?

The FIA must provide clear and consistent guidelines on defensive driving. The Sport can not afford to have rules open to interpretation or manipulation to serve specific agendas.

Clear guidelines will ensure fair and transparent competition, reassuring fans and participants about the sport’s future.

Are the FIA, Once Again, Targeting Sir Lewis Hamilton?

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Editor-in-Chief.

Date marked: 17th November 2023.

Recent FIA punishments for Lewis Hamilton beg the question of is Sir Lewis Hamilton is being personally targeted. From last year’s nose earring fine to crossing the track €50,000 fine to a disqualification. 

Many have suggested that Sir Lewis Hamilton is held to a higher standard as a role model. In comparison to team sports such as football and rugby, Formula One presents itself as a rather personal sport. One might say the cars are an extension of the drivers themselves. While Sir Lewis Hamilton has a team behind him, he is the one who captures the blame in countless news articles. 

In most recent events, Sir Lewis Hamilton finished in second place, merely two point two seconds behind Max Verstappen in Austin and he was later disqualified. The FIA investigated only four out of the seventeen winning qualifying cars, of which half failed the floor regulations. Max Verstappen (Redbull) and Lando Norris (Mclaren) were cleared but Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was disqualified as well. Half the cars that were checked failed regulations it is confusing to why the FIA would not check more cars. Furthermore, the Mercedes and Ferrari teammates’ cars were not checked, did the FIA just not bother checking? Simply from Mercedes and Ferrari, this was an accident of excessively worn-out floors. 

The regulations state that the floor plank holes should only be worn from one mm to nine mm across the weekend. However, given the nature of a sprint race, they had not been able to measure planks since Friday Afternoon. Thus, it is not surprising that they failed the regulations, yet this does not reflect upon Sir Lewis Hamilton himself. 

In comparison, in the Qatar Sprint race, only one car was checked, further in the Qatar GP only three cars were checked and furthermore, none were checked after the Japanese GP. It all seems somewhat bizarre. 

Sir Lewis Hamilton continuously speaks up against the FIA (read the article on the FIA banning political statements at Formula 1 and the effect this could have had on Sir Lewis Hamilton). 

Sir Lewis Hamilton has recently spoken against the FIA’s increasing of fines. The FIA decided after twelve years to increase the maximum fine amount. Not merely by double nor by treble but by quadrupling the amount. This means they can now fine drivers up to one million euros (£871k). Considering Sir Lewis Hamilton is always on the receiving end of these fines it’s no wonder he spoke against this: 

“There’s a lot of money in this whole industry and there’s a lot more that we need to do in terms of creating better accessibility, better diversity, more opportunities for people who don’t or wouldn’t normally have a chance to get into a sport like this – so many causes around the world. That’s the only way they’ll get that million from me.” 

Sir Lewis Hamilton paths the way for change in Formula One and it’s a shame he is constantly met with resistance. 

Bibliography-

Formula One. ‘Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified from United States Grand Prix for technical breach’. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-hamilton-and-leclerc-disqualified-from-united-states-grand-prix-for.10nvuyvEPfMgoeWxWOhw0a.html .Published by Formula One, 23rd October 2023.

Jogia, Saajan. ‘F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Makes Strong Statement After Huge FIA Rule Change’. https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/f1briefings/news/f1-news-lewis-hamilton-makes-strong-statement-after-huge-fia-rule-change-sj4 . Published by Fannation, 20th October 2023.

Kew, Matthew. ‘The can of worms opened by Hamilton and Leclerc’s F1 US GP disqualifications’. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-can-of-worms-opened-by-hamilton-and-leclercs-f1-us-gp-disqualifications/10536696/ . Published by Auto Sport, 24th October 2023.

Maher, Thomas. ‘FIA make Lewis Hamilton stance clear after personal attack accusations’. https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-stance-accusations-lewis-hamilton-attack . Published by Planet F1, 18th October 2023.

FIA bans political statements at Formula 1: Sir Lewis Hamilton

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date marked: 24th February 2023.

The new season of Formula 1 begins soon, with much excitement over the latest cars, particularly Sir Lewis Hamilton’s Black Mercedes W14. But unfortunately, it also begins with some new rules, and Sir Lewis Hamilton seems to be the target of these unnecessary rules.

Throughout the years, Sir Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have made various political statements through their clothing and even helmets. From LGBTQ+ rights to Black Lives Matter to environmental matters, though their actions have been frowned upon, there has never been a ban before. They have led to an increase in political statements over the last three years.

However, Sebastian Vettel, who drove for Ferrari in his last season, retired after the 2022 season. So, the FIA coincidentally added the ban when Lewis Hamilton is the only racer it affects.

Sir Lewis Hamilton is a driver for Mercedes, previously McLaren, who has won 103 races in his career. He previously discussed racism inside Formula 1, especially at the start of his career. However, unlike most Formula 1 racers, Sir Lewis Hamilton has always used his platform for good and to encourage change.

For the 2022 season, Mercedes’s design for Lewis Hamilton’s helmet had a big rainbow through the top of this overall green helmet. Though amongst the political ban, Mercedes has once again designed a helmet with elements of a rainbow, and it is not as large as the 2022 season. Nevertheless, Sir Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are making a stand.

The FIA ban on personal, religious, and political statements may end in fines or even a risk of being banned from racing. Though, Mercedes and Sir Lewis Hamilton are not ones to hide from the risk of a fine.

Sir Lewis Hamilton is not the only racer to speak up about the FIA ban. His Mercedes teammate George Russell has backed up Sir Lewis Hamilton in hopes that this ban will be solved before the 2023 season starts.

The timing of this entire discourse still seems suspicious. Suppose Sir Lewis Hamilton did not have the support of his teammates and a record of seven championship wins. In that case, this ban could end Sir Lewis Hamilton’s career. In previous seasons, he had Sebastian Vettel by his side, who also took risks in making political statements. Now Sir Lewis Hamilton is alone, they have introduced this rule.

Whether in his racing or activism, Sir Lewis Hamilton is not one to back down from intimidation. For example, Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying in the 2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, meaning he began at the back of the grid. Yet, he overtook all positions and ended up winning.

At the launch of the new black Mercedes car on the topic of the FIA political ban. Sir Lewis Hamilton said:

I wasn’t watching the news over the winter, but I have heard it. It doesn’t surprise me, but nothing will stop me from speaking about what I feel passionate about and the issues there are. The sport has a responsibility to speak out on things and create awareness of important topics when we travel to all these places. So, nothing changes.

Not only did Sir Lewis Hamilton make political statements at Formula 1, but alongside Mercedes, they launched a scholarship programme. Ignite partnership aims to increase diversity in racing through increasing support for young girls in motor sport and grants a scholarship to at least ten Black students across 2023 to 2025 academic years. In addition, each year, at least five undergrad students will be given a scholarship for a master’s degree in engineering and much more.

There has been a lot of debate around Sir Lewis Hamilton’s political statements and other sports involvement in political statements. Sir Lewis Hamilton has a platform that many activists can only dream of. He also changes himself, so he should be allowed to express his politics.

Referencing-

BBC Sport. “I am still going to be speaking my mind – Lewis Hamilton”. Andrew Benson. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/64651611

Formula 1. “Hamilton takes victory in Brazil after stunning drive from P10 and pass on Verstappen”. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-takes-victory-in-brazil-after-stunning-drive-from-p10-and-pass-on.6svQJahOZ1FjwZHX0Zm3Bx.html

Independent. “George Russell takes aim at ‘silly’ FIA political ban”. Kieran Jackson. https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/george-russell-mercedes-car-launch-fia-political-ban-b2282953.html

Independent. “Lewis Hamilton escapes fine for wearing nose stud but Mercedes pay penalty”. Philip Duncan. https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/lewis-hamilton-fia-british-singapore-grand-prix-silverstone-b2190351.html

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. “Ignite Partnership announces inaugural grants to boost UK motorsport”. https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/marsF1/en/instance/ko/Ignite-Partnership-announces-inaugural-grants-to-boost-UK-motorsport.xhtml?oid=189016170

Sky Sports. “Lewis Hamilton: ‘Nothing will stop me’ from speaking out in Formula 1 despite FIA free speech ban”. https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12472/12811775/lewis-hamilton-nothing-will-stop-me-from-speaking-out-in-formula-1-despite-fia-free-speech-ban