Pants and Jewellery - a symbol of the F1-FIA split? (2 of 2)
The first part of this article was about F1's success in America. So it feels silly that one of the weekend's biggest stories was a four-time champion wearing boxers over his race suit and F1's biggest name wearing three watches to a press conference.
Since F1's governing body, the FIA, had a bit of a whoopsy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, it has changed two of the key people in the organisation - the president and the race director.
The presidential change was planned, swapping a retiring Jean Todt for a Motorsport UK backed Mohammed Ben Sulayem (MBS). The race director was less planned, swapping the controversial Michael Masi for Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, the two of whom will alternate each weekend.
“The Abu Dhabi controversy is critical here”
The Abu Dhabi controversy is critical here because the F1 world, in the majority, felt that the FIA had stood by their decision to not follow its own rules and procedures.
Back in Miami, we heard that the FIA had begun enforcing the rule that disallows the wearing of jewellery or non-fireproof underwear while driving the car.
On the pants front, enforcing the rules had ruffled some feathers with key drivers, including Sebastian Vettel. We saw him ironically wearing boxers on top of his overalls at the start of Friday practice in Miami. I've just watched him holding his own on BBC's Question Time - what a difference a week makes.
“He has been given a two-race grace period for that”
The jewellery battle seems to be a bit trickier. Pierre Gasly wears a religious pendant during races, Kevin Magnessun wears his wedding ring, and Lewis Hamilton wears earrings and has a piercing in his nose. While Hamilton took out his earrings, the nose piercing remained. It seems that he needs a minor surgery to get that removed. So he has been given a two-race grace period for that.
The question is, will he book the op?
Going by the way Hamilton arrived at the drivers press conference, you wouldn't be surprised if, come Monaco, we are talking piercings again.
The seven-time world champion arrived, donning three watches, seven neckless and eight rings. You would be right if you thought Lewis was trying to make a point.
“You might argue that it seemed negotiable when F1 remained in Saudi Arabia”
It seems odd for the FIA to annoy the two most decorated drivers on the grid for a little thing like this. Yes, safety is non-negotiable. But you might argue that it seemed negotiable when F1 remained in Saudi Arabia following nearby missile strikes.
The offers from Hamilton and Magnessun to sign waivers to cover the FIA have been rejected too. So it's not for legal reasons that the FIA has this stance.
President MBS is said to be pushing hard for the ruling to be applied, with his reasoning being that those at the top should set a good example. F1 is the biggest motorsport in the world. However, other categories allow jewellery to be worn, and some of Lewis Hamilton's most iconic images have been seen him emerge from the car wearing his nose piercing.
Is it, as Sebastian Vettel suggested, personal on Lewis Hamilton? Maybe. Perhaps that explains why Lewis is so annoyed by this situation. From the exterior seems an unusual area of the sport about which to have an argument.
I prefer to assume the best in people. This means that the FIA must now be applying every rule without question so that they don't have another Abu Dhabi 2021. While F1 could have suffered heavily from the conclusion to last season, the FIA was the organisation that received most of the backlash - and it didn't help itself by being slow to respond.
“There is growing discontent and a disconnect between F1 and the FIA”
This brings me to the crux of the issue. There is growing discontent and a disconnect between F1 and the FIA.
In recent weeks, the FIA has asked F1 for a more significant sum of money to deliver more sprint race weekends in the seasons to come. Reports suggest that this didn't go down well at all. Especially as F1 provides the FIA with approximately half of its income already.
This dispute over money and sprint races seem to have spilt out into pants and piercings, creating a pattern of F1 being celebrated as a global success. At the same time, the FIA receives continued lousy press.
The issue is that they need one another. The FIA needs F1 financially and for relevance, while F1 needs referees to run the sport.
Let's not forget, as silly as it sounds, the FIA have the power to stop Lewis Hamilton from racing in Monaco if he is still wearing a piercing. That would hurt F1 as well as Hamilton and Mercedes.
The alternative to the FIA? There isn't, really. The good news is that we are not going to see a breakaway series because teams would be mad to leave F1 just as it's becoming profitable. In fact, heavyweights Andretti Racing are looking to join the party, so the dynamic may yet swing a different direction.
Watch this space, and leave the space below to let me know what you think.
Britain’s love affair with losers has helped Lewis’ UK popularity - but at what cost?
Last week, from the train to the pub to the water cooler (if they are even safe nowadays), the world was talking about Formula One. As somebody who had watched, talked about and introduced people to F1 since I was seven, the lead up to the weekend was many emotions. Mostly pride.
Sadly, F1 has a habit of shooting itself in the foot. Last weekend, it chose a rocket launcher, forgetting meritocracy in pursuit of drama and creating controversy in the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - listen to more on that here.
As the world watched on, the victim of Sunday's cock up was Sir Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion led 57 and a half of the 58 laps of the final race in which he needed to win to become champion. In the penultimate lap, decision-making by the Race Director (referee) gave Max Verstappen the advantage that he needed to overtake Hamilton and snatch the championship. Did Max deserve the championship? Yes. Should Lewis have been the champion? Unquestionably.
This week, F1 has been on the news and trending on social media, with a public outcry for an apparent injustice within the meritocratic realm of sport. From Piers Morgan to Samual L Jackson, the world was upset on Hamilton's behalf. The 'next goal wins' analogy has been thrown around and is a great way to describe what people who love F1 as much as I still don't understand.
“What people love even more is seeing a champion fall, which is what happened on Sunday.”
People love a young champion who defies odds to represent their people on the world stage. Lewis Hamilton has been that and more for the past 15 years. What people love even more is seeing a champion fall, which is what happened on Sunday.
This wasn't a fall from grace or a question of being outclassed by a young buck. Lewis Hamilton has what it took to take on Max Verstappen in what is widely agreed to have been a minimally inferior car. Moreover, a broken Hamilton congratulated the Verstappen camp, losing with the dignity many would have not blamed him for putting to one side. Lewis' sportsmanship in the face of adversity was almost as awe-inspiring as the audacity required by the Race Director to break his own rules.
“However, that pessimism might well have been the reason that the British public has never really taken to arguably their greatest sporting champion.”
One of the first blog posts I wrote talked about how Britain's negativity niggled with its success in a sporting arena. By no means did the UK's pessimistic mentality impact the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, that pessimism might well have been the reason that the British public has never really taken to arguably their greatest sporting champion.
Something changed on Sunday. The outcry in this country for the injustice (yes, I know there are more significant problems in the world) was massive. On top of this, you never heard anyone criticising Hamilton - something that has become the norm. But how could you? The guy has done everything, from driving to sportsmanship, perfectly. For once, there wasn't really a way that the media could spin it in a way that would make Lewis look bad. Like the England team in the Euros this summer, he had looked destined to win until it fell apart cruelly in the closing minutes.
“But what impact has this daylight robbery had on the British superstar, who we forget is still a human?”
While he lost the championship, Lewis Hamilton seems to have finally won some British hearts. But what impact has this daylight robbery had on the British superstar, who we forget is still a human?
Lewis hasn't been on social media all week, he chose not to go to the FIA prize-giving gala and, other than the interview that he did immediately after the race before going to the podium, he has not done any interviews. He returned to his team's headquarters to celebrate Mercedes' team championship victory on Friday. Oh, and he got knighted at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. So it's been quite a week.
He has no obligation to talk about the pain he may feel as he processes last weekend in his own time. However, it means that we can only glean information about his state of mind from what those close to him have said. His boss, Toto Wolff, is an excellent example of this. And probably the only one too.
In a media session following Mercedes' decision not to take the Sunday's events to court, Wolff explained that neither he nor Lewis would ever get over the pain and stress. While this may sound dramatic from the outside, it makes you think. Imagine you have dedicated your life to something. You have plenty of other things that you could be pursuing. Still, your passion for that something is so great that you reach the verge of becoming the undisputed greatest. At that moment, the world watches on, and through no fault of your own, somebody changes the rules to let someone else beat you.
“Changes are required in F1 if it wants to keep Lewis Hamilton and the spotlight that he brings.”
I fear that F1's biggest asset and ambassador is disillusioned. You wouldn't blame Lewis for walking away. However, you wouldn't blame him for living up to the 'bad loser' image that so many Britons seem to have of him when he lost on Sunday. Changes are required in F1 if it wants to keep Lewis Hamilton and the spotlight that he brings.
2022…
So long as he is mentally healthy and enjoying himself, I hope, and I believe that Lewis Hamilton will return next year. Worryingly for his competition, he is going to be stronger too. As we saw in Brazil this year, when his back is against the wall, that is when he shines the brightest. You then have to factor in Max Verstappen, who will be his biggest challenge next season, now armed with the experience of fighting for a championship. Let's not forget that significant changes are coming in terms of the cars, hopefully bringing them closer. With such changes, you can't rule Ferrari or McLaren out. All four drivers for those teams are top operators, but, for me, Charles Leclerc is the real deal.
So while the final chapter of 2021 may be filled with controversy, do not despair with Formula One. If we had stopped watching football after Maradona's 'hand of God' intervened, we would have missed magical moments that include Lionel Messi. Like life, sport is unfair, injustice and can stab you in the back no matter how much love you show it. But with troughs come incredible peaks - I am grateful not to have missed Hungary, USA and Brazil, this year.
I can't guarantee another winner takes all decider, like this season. However, all being well, we will see the best driver on the planet fighting it out - this time, with more than two going for the championship. You wouldn't want to miss that.
2021 has been a season for the ages, and I already can't wait for 2022. See you then.
Listen to the AJontheLine F1 2021 Season Review - out soon.