F1 needs structure to correct FIA errors, says McLaren

With the controversy over the FIA’s handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix safety car restart showing no signs of calming down, there is an intense focus on the outcome of a meeting of the F1 Commission on Monday.

There, the FIA is due to present to teams its findings from its investigation into the events surrounding the F1 season finale, as well as map out what it plans to do to ensure there is no repeat of the controversy in the future.

But McLaren boss Seidl believes changes need to go far beyond looking just at what happened in Abu Dhabi, as he thinks there should be a wider overhaul of the way F1 races are run.

And, in particular, he thinks some new processes should be introduced to make sure that, in the event the FIA or its stewards do make errors in the future, then there is an agreed system in place for them to correct any negative consequences.

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“One of the beauties of the sport, not just on the team side but also the FIA side when it comes to the execution of races, is that it is a human sport,” explained Seidl.

“So we need to accept mistakes can happen on the team side, but also on the FIA side – and mistakes can happen again.

“For me it is very important that we also discuss that if you are in the position that mistakes happen, you actually raise your hand, admit them, and have a mechanism in place in order to correct the consequences that such mistakes or controversies could have.

“That is as important as trying to avoid similar controversies in the first place.”

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren

Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images

As well as the Abu Dhabi issue, one of the season-long talking points was an apparent lack of consistency in the