The FIA has axed its controversial system of rotating Formula 1 race directors after complaints of inconsistency this season.
Michael Masi held the role up until the end of last season, when his poor decisions impacted the outcome of the 2021 title race. He was later relieved of his duties by the FIA after their investigation into what happened concluded that "human error" had been a factor.
With no natural successor already in the F1 world, the governing body turned to Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich to share the role. But in 2022, that has led to some inconsistency and questionable decision-making at times, most recently at the Japanese Grand Prix, where Freitas was in charge.
The FIA has since conducted a review into what happened at that race, the major moment of controversy being the call to allow a recovery vehicle onto the circuit while F1 cars were still on track in treacherous conditions – leading to a scary close call for Pierre Gasly.
A review panel assembled to reflect upon what happened has now concluded that proper procedures were followed, but that changes need to be made. One of them is the scrapping of the shared race director role with immediate effect, with Wittich taking charge of the final four races of the season.
In the review statement, the panel also admitted that the decision to allow the recovery vehicle onto the track at Suzuka was, given the conditions, the wrong call. "Even though it is common practice to deploy recovery vehicles once a race has been neutralised, the review panel discussed whether the entry of the recovery vehicle at Suzuka to retrieve the stricken Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was premature given the prevailing conditions," it read.
"The review panel acknowledged that having recovery cranes on track at Suzuka during the weather conditions is a sensitive matter in view of the tragic incidents of the past. The panel determined that in hindsight, as the weather conditions were changing, it would have been prudent to have delayed the deployment of the recovery vehicles on track."
Changes in procedure, to be implemented immediately, include notifying teams whenever a recovery vehicle is on track so they can pass on that information to drivers, and the development of a new system to better inform race control as to the status and whereabouts of all F1 cars on track.
The initial confusion over how many points would be awarded at the end of that truncated race has also led to a change in the wording of the law. The rule was not intended so that full points would be awarded, as they were in this case, but the wording meant that it was the correct application of that rule at the time. "The wording of the regulations will be revisited with a view to bringing further clarity during the next review of the sporting regulations," the FIA vowed.
