Here's a message for Charlie: We need you.

Last Tuesday, Michael Masi left F1's governing body, the FIA, to spend more time with his family in Australia and pursue other goals. Regardless of the side that you fell in Abu Dhabi 2021, you will probably have an opinion on Masi, and it will likely be strong. While I don't agree with every decision he made, I feel for Michael as the one who had to fill Charlie Whiting's impossibly large shoes.

Charlie died suddenly on the eve of the 2019 Formula One season. While those who knew him felt a considerable gap emerge in their lives, his untimely passing left an equally large void within the FIA - and it still hasn't recovered.

Whiting's transparency and respect defined him as a man and a race director. Two crucial qualities as the referee of a competitive, complex, and constantly changing sport.

During the USA Grand Prix 2017, Max Verstappen was given a penalty immediately after the race for cutting a corner, which attracted much controversy. On the Thursday following the race, Charlie held a press conference in which he talked the world's media through decision-making alongside different camera angles. He explained the wording of the rules, and the case was closed as everyone had an answer.

“This clarity stopped controversy lingering.”

This clarity stopped controversy lingering.

The respect between Charlie, the drivers and the teams was clear for all to see. On YouTube, you can see some behind-the-scenes of drivers' briefings in which Charlie's strong relationship with racing drivers is evident.

These are qualities lacking within the current FIA format. Last week, at the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said something interesting.

"I don't think it necessarily depends on (having) a single race director. I think it's more about working with the drivers rather than standing your ground and being stubborn".

Even Verstappen, who seems to benefit most from the opacity of the FIA as a driver who pushes the rules beyond the limit more than most, believes that the FAA requires changes.

I read a great article by Matt Kew on Autosport in which he compared the FIA since Abu Dhabi to the Conservative party in the UK since party gate. The solution seems to be bringing a new face rather than changing the underlying issues.

The new face of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem (MBS), became the president seven months ago. Since then, he seems to have thrown his political weight around in F1 substantially compared to his predecessor Jean Todt. But he seems to have been doing so in a weird way.

You can respect his drive to push for all rules to be followed to the letter to avoid a repeat of Abu Dhabi 2021. Yet, he seems to focus on rules that were never a pressing issue.

The whole pants and piercings malarkey of the first few races seemed and was bizarre when we have Sebastian Vettel literally walking out of drivers' briefings in frustration of racing rules such as track limits and forcing other drivers off the track still being debated.

The British Grand Prix last fortnight was one of the season's best races. However, some of the racing standards of Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen raised questions. Between them, they were guilty of cutting corners to overtake and forcing other drivers off the track. Neither were penalised, and it left fans and drivers alike scratching their heads.

Just a week later, the Austrian Grand Prix would be an excellent time for the race director to explain why things were done to allow everyone to move on. However, neither the race director nor the stewards from Silverstone were present in Austria. While this allows for people to rest, it leads to no accountability.

“The decisions do not need to be perfect, but there needs to be consistency.”

This leaves drivers and fans in the dark as to where the line can be drawn. It's as though the drivers have to learn the rules of the sport as the weekend goes on, which is frankly ridiculous. The decisions do not need to be perfect, but there needs to be consistency.

Of course, times have changed. Formula One has become more popular, so the pressure has increased on those making key decisions during and after the race. But it is clear more than ever that F1 needs a Charlie Whiting figure to steer the ship in a direction that doesn't change weekly. This needs sorting out because people will quickly move on if nobody can get their heads around the game's rules.

The FIA said that Sebastian Vettel did not behave like a role model for walking out of the drivers' briefing, which is plainly ridiculous. Alongside Lewis Hamilton, Seb is a true champion on and off the track, genuinely looking to leave the world in a better place as a result of his platform.

There is also no nonsense with Seb, he respects others and commands respect, and he knows what he's talking about, given his current job. So perhaps the best thing that could happen to F1 is Seb joining the FIA.

“I'm putting Sebastian Vettel forward as the new FIA president.”

I don't know when he will retire, and he might not know either. But when the four-time champion does hang up his helmet, I'm putting Sebastian Vettel forward as the new FIA president.

Whether Seb’s presidency will come in time, I don't know. But I do know that the world doesn't deserve Sebastian Vettel, so while he is here, savour it. And if he can fix F1, even better.

Daniel is in the driver’s seat, but he needs to take control

If there is one thing that a man my age doesn't enjoy but finds himself doing more often, it's admitting to his Dad that they were right and he was wrong.

I shall begin this article by doing just that. Lando Norris is better than Daniel Ricciardo. At least, during their time at McLaren, that has been the case.

“As is often the case in life, the dream move may not live up to expectations”

I cannot the Honey Badger out. However, nobody wants to admit it, but many in the F1 community are concerned about Daniel Ricciardo's pace in the past couple of years. He simply hasn't gelled with the car. As is often the case in life, the dream move may not live up to expectations. And that is a great shame for Daniel, F1 and the world.

The biggest worries will be coming from the top of Daniel’s McLaren team. CEO Zak Brown is an ambitious, impatient racer. The very fact that he admitted in the media that McLaren has the option to opt out of the third year of Daniel's high wage contract is a warning sign to the man from Perth. Brown is also driven to get a US driver in F1. As a marketing man and an American himself, he can see the opportunities that a driver from the States would bring McLaren and F1 as it expands rapidly in the US.

Colton Herta appears to be the chosen one if he impresses in a test with McLaren later this year. Herta has shown super speed in IndyCar. Having grown up racing in Europe, teammates with Lando Norris no less, you would think he knows what he is doing in a European style race car.

“if Colton Herta was coming to McLaren, it was always Ricciardo that would be on the back foot”

The way Lando Norris has driven in the past couple of years has been up there with the Verstappens, Leclercs, Russells and Hamiltons of this world. He is unlucky not to have a victory yet, and the way he drove through his tonsillitis in Spain was arguably the season's performance so far. In reality, if Colton Herta was coming to McLaren, it was always Ricciardo that would be on the back foot.

The thing is, Ricciardo bring many great qualities to the team. He is highly marketable as one of the most popular drivers globally. He knows how to win, as he showed in Italy last year. His positivity is undoubtedly a benefit to any team. So dumping Daniel is a big decision.

“The question is, where has Daniel got left?”

It is not over for Daniel Ricciardo, and he can improve his form. Even if it doesn't save his McLaren career, it could prove to another team that he still has what it takes to be in F1. The question is, where has Daniel got left?

The big three of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari are unlikely, and he's burned his bridges with Alpine. So that leaves Alfa Romeo, Williams, Haas and Aston Martin. Alfa and Haas are happy with their new team leaders in Bottas and Magnussen, and Daniel probably wouldn't fancy Williams, which leaves Aston Martin. I can see Aston replacing a retiring Vettel with Ricciardo if the cards fall in the right place at the right time. So ironically, the man who Daniel embarrassed out of Red Bull in 2014 could be the man deciding Daniel's future in the sport. It's funny how life works.

Daniel's future is not strictly in Seb's hands, as much as one can trust the big-hearted German. Daniel's future is in his hands. His performances will dictate his future, and the months ahead will be telling.

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.

Hungarian GP Report: Sacre Bleu!

The Hungarian Grand Prix was being hyped up after the title-defining British Grand Prix, and I was concerned that it wouldn't live up to it. However, like a chocolate brownie, the battle of Budapest is impossible to overrate and delivered again. With a first time winner, crazy weather, a comeback drive, battles between the best and underdogs succeeding, this race had it all. 

Lewis Hamilton started from pole position after a scintillating lap in qualifying, giving him his 101st pole position. Behind Hamilton was his teammate Bottas, and then the two Red Bull's, who were seeking revenge after last time out. Drama on the horizon? Surely.

How do you complicate a Grand Prix? A downpour of rain just before the start of the race, of course. That's precisely what happened. Tension built, and when the lights went out, there was minimal grip. It was anybody's race.

Hamilton got away well but, his rear gunner certainly didn't. Verstappen, Norris and Perez all muscled their way through, but in a bid to make up the places, Bottas braked later than those ahead. Unfortunately, it was ambition ahead of the physics of friction. The Fin sailed into the back of Norris, leading to several drivers either being knocked out of the race or heavily damaged. Crucially for the championship, Verstappen was one of those who took on significant damage. 

Bottas was out.

Perez was out.

Norris was out.

And so too was the red flag.

As the drivers emerged from the pit lane, they were still on wet weather tyres, but the track had dried much quicker than anyone had predicted. Who was going to take the risk to pit for dry tyres and lose track position? As it turned out, everyone. Everyone except for the race leader Lewis Hamilton. Incredibly, Hamilton was the only one to line up on the grid. He had to race around the track and then pit on his own while everyone else, all on the right tyres, went past him. After avoiding all of the drama at the start, Hamilton was last.

So who led now? George Russell - I'm not joking, but only for a few corners before he was told to let these that he'd overtaken in the pit lane past. Somehow, Estaban Ocon was leading from Vettel, with Williams' Latifi in third. The championship protagonists of Hamilton and Verstappen were out of the points. 

If Lewis Hamilton was going to win his 100th Grand Prix, he would need to pull out one of his best ever performances. After making his way past the Alfa Romeos and Mick Schumacher, he pitted to undercut Verstappen and, crucially, Daniel Ricciardo with a brilliant move around the outside of the Aussie driver at turn 1. This allowed him to push into the clean air and get up to fifth position, but he was stuck behind the one-stopping Carlos Sainz on fresher tyres.

Ahead, Alonso led while Ocon and Vettel pitted. Given the searing pace of his out lap, Vettel should have taken the lead. However, his slow pit stop was enough to allow Ocon to remain ahead - just. 

Hamilton's tyre charge had allowed him to close in on Fernando Alonso for the battle that we all wanted to see for fourth position. Oh, and it did not let us down. The ten lap battle was pure, clean and hard racing. That was what it looked like to see the two most outstanding of their respective generations battling it out. Alonso may have just turned 40, but he still has it. He also won the race for Estaban Ocon. Alonso's defence meant that Hamilton only had three laps to catch and pass the two leaders by the time the Brit got through Alonso and Carlos Sainz for third. While he was only two seconds off the lead, it was enough. 

Estaban Ocon also spent 70 laps in the race lead with Sebastian Vettel, a four-time champion, pressuring him. Ocon is the guy that beat Verstappen in Formula 3. He's the guy who got dropped from F1 for a year. The Frenchman comes from humble beginnings, and now he is a Grand Prix winner for a French team in Alpine. To say he deserved that win is an understatement. 

More than half on the grid are now race winners in F1. I think that speaks of the incredible era of Grand Prix racing that we live in. 

Following the race, heart-breaking news arrived in the form of a Seb Vettel disqualification - his car didn't have enough fuel remaining in the car for a sample. Unfortunately, that's a slam dunk. Vettel was a champion on and off the track. Along with Hamilton, he fought against the proposed law that threatens the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary. Love is love. And we love Seb.

Further back, Verstappen managed to rescue two points for ninth position - incredible given that he was driving with so much damage. To the delight of many, the Williams pair of Latifi and Russell managed to bag a remarkable ten points to get them above Haas and Alfa Romeo in the championship. Finally, Russell has scored some points for Williams. His tears following the race showed what that meant to him. 

Biggest Winner: Lewis Hamilton

Going into Silverstone with a 33-point deficit to Verstappen and then coming out of Hungary, two races later, with an eight-point advantage, has to be a win for Hamilton. 

Lewis was lucky that Max got caught up in the pandemonium that was turn one. Still, he made that luck by qualifying on pole and was unfortunate to lose so many positions with the fast-drying track at the restart. Either way, it was a storming drive back to what is now second. He drove his heart out and will deserve a break in the championship lead.

Biggest Loser: Valtteri Bottas

Bottas had a tremendous weekend until he threw out the anchors too late at turn one. But the mistake could be integral for his future.

A stellar driver from Russell will be vital in helping his cause for the Mercedes seat next season. Especially when he is compared to Bottas, who was playing a game of ‘bowling’ at turn one, to quote Charles Leclerc. Ouch.

Moment of the Weekend: Lewis Hamilton vs Fernando Alonso 

It was the battle that got me into Formula One - King Lewis vs Rey Fernando. It was tense, it was exciting and vital for the race winner. Neither would give in, and it looked like a stalemate until Alonso made a slight mistake at turn one. You can’t give Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso an opportunity like that. Alonso is in the top four drivers on the grid for me.

Honourable Mention: Estaban Ocon 

He won! Arguably, Estaban should be the biggest winner, and I imagine Jimmy or Joe will rightly argue so. I didn’t choose him because I wanted to look at the big picture. Nevertheless, to hold off Sebastian Vettel for almost the whole race is remarkable. Ocon is underrated, and now he has led more laps than all but Hamilton and Verstappen this year. Let us also not forget that Ocon out-qualified Alonso, despite qualifying just 17th two races ago - what a turnaround that is. 

AJontheLine Line of the Week: 

Daniel Ricciardo: F***

David Croft (Commentator): Sorry for Daniel’s language.

Nico Rosberg: No, but it was the right word.

 Martin Brundle is a world-class commentator, and I always miss his voice when he isn’t there - I know I’m not the only one. However, it was less difficult this weekend when his replacement was the one and only, straight-talking Nico Rosberg. He offered brilliant insight all weekend, and on Saturday, his inner racing driver came out, and it was very amusing.

Well, there is your chocolate brownie of a Grand Prix - probably the best race of the season. Our hunger for F1 will ramp up now with a four-week summer break until Belgium. At least silly season will keep us occupied. Will Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate be announced? I’ll let you know.

Listen to the Hungarian GP Review Podcast on AJontheLine, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.