Speaking at the start of the weekend, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel expressed surprise at the news that the FIA has rubber-stamped new aero regulations for 2019 aimed at improving overtaking.

Indeed, told that the new rules will probably make the cars 1.5s a lap slower, the German pointed out that the regulations have only just been changed to make the cars faster.

Having already questioned the layout and siting of the proposed track for the F1 race in Miami, admitting that he would be delighted to assist with the eventual layout and placement, Hamilton suggested the drivers should have more say in the sport's regulations, a move endorsed by Vettel who pointed out that as drivers they are best placed to know how the racing might be best improved.

Speaking to reporters in Barcelona however, FIA president, Jean Todt, essentially poo-pooed the comments.

"I do respect them and know how busy they can be and all that, but they have access," he said. "Unfortunately very often there is a meeting and they don't come.

"I have always tried to hear what the drivers were saying," he continued. "The drivers are invited to participate, to do something.

"If the drivers have some comments they are more than welcome," he insisted. "Any driver who wants to see me, from the back of the grid to the top of the grid, will be able to see me within 48 hours."

All of which is very, very odd, because, to all intents and purposes it is the sport's owners who are now making the rules, with the FIA merely doing the paperwork.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Spindoctor, 15/05/2018 11:12

""..All of which is very, very odd, because, to all intents and purposes it is the sport's owners who are now making the rules, with the FIA merely doing the paperwork."

And this sentence pretty much sums up a lot of what has gone wrong with Formula One.
UK football fans will know that although Sky and BT pay the Premier league vast sums of money every year they do not "own" English football. No matter how stupid the offside rule might appear, and no matter how much Rupert Murdoch might be prepared to pay, Sky TV will not be able to change it.

In Formula One on the other hand it is clear that owning the right to sell coverage of Formula One events to television companies is tantamount to owning the sport itself. The unpleasant consequence of this is that the last two groups of people who are permitted to influence the rules in any way are the fans and the drivers.
The former (lest they forget) are the people who will be paying to watch Formula One, the latter are the people who drive the cars. Consequently their opinions about the sport should be given rather more weight than those of a bunch of marketing men."

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2. Posted by Ro, 14/05/2018 18:36

"You may listen to their views but you never take their advice!"

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Todt reacts to drivers calls on rules influence

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