Yeah, this all sounds like the trademark of a functional, transparent regime where driver issues will be taken seriously…
As well as debate over the harshness of the penalty recommendations, what has also emerged as a bone of contention is the way that some feel the vote was effectively pushed through the World Motor Sport Council at Ben Sulayem’s behest.
Where once the WMSC was a forum for debate and discussion during its regular gatherings, sources say that its processes have notably shifted under the latest regime.
A move towards more virtual meetings, and more recently the increasing use of quick e-votes without debate, has left some unhappy due to a perception that, when it comes to changes to FIA regulations and statutes, proper due diligence is no longer being carried out.
While e-votes do fulfil the letter of the legislative process, in that the majority need to back changes for them to go through, sources suggest that there is a degree of unease about things not operating in the way a proper democracy should with open discussion.
In the case of the new misconduct guidelines, the rush to push them through via an e-vote, without prior consultation with drivers nor championship promoters, nor waiting for the next scheduled meeting, meant it failed to get unanimous support from the WMSC.
One senior source with good knowledge of the situation said: “It would have been much better to have a conversation with the GPDA and treat them like adults, than do it without proper discussions and deliberation. Drivers need a level of respect given to them.”
Most significantly, one of those who voted against the proposal was F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali – which is a rare move as FOM does not usually abstain from votes.
The whisper of discomfort about the way that some feel the governing body’s democratic processes are being bypassed is especially interesting because it comes at the start of an FIA president election year.
And whereas several months ago it had seemed almost certain that Ben Sulayem would be unopposed to win a second term, the latest play has offered the first hint that perhaps that is no longer the case.
