Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, has called for an end to team bosses’ interference with the Formula 1 race director during the Grand Prix.
The 2021 season ended in controversy in Abu Dhabi when Lewis Hamilton’s lead in the final race was reduced by safety car regulations, giving Max Verstappen a chance to overtake on the final lap, an opportunity he took to to become world champion for the first time.
The race was also controversial because it highlighted the regular communication between team principals such as Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Mercedes’ Toto Wolff with race director Michael Masi as they attempted to sway his crucial race decisions in their favour.
The race was watched by millions around the world, many of whom were just F1 fans and questioned the fairness and integrity of the sport, and Brown says teams need to have “less influence”.
“I think everyone was pretty confused,” Brown told RACER, referring to the events in Abu Dhabi. “So many people have been upset all year that we need to look at the rules. And remember, it’s the teams that make most of these rules. So, as you heard me, I’d like to continue to see less influence from the teams because we’re the ones who developed half of those rules.”
Brown called for more consistency for the 2022 season and beyond.
“Of course there were winners and losers. It’s tough being a referee in any sport because half the fans will agree with your reputation and the other half will not. It seemed different from what has happened in the past. I think if you look to Baku, they immediately marked it in red. It didn’t really change the result for us, but I think in the off-season we have to review a lot of our regulations.
“If I withdraw, I think there are too many inconsistencies in the regulations and how they’re applied and when they’re applied, driver penalties… You look at Lando [Norris] who does not touch [Sergio] In Austria he tries it around the outside and gets a five-second penalty and two penalty points.
“Then you have Max [Verstappen] and Lewis [Hamilton] both of which go off the track [in Brazil] and “Let them race”. I think we all have these stories, and it’s difficult when it’s subjective, but I think we have to take a step back.”
