Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: The FIA investigation has begun
A month after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the FIA officially began its investigation into the controversial finale of the 2021 World Championship.
In this month of January 2022, the long-awaited investigation into the Abu Dhabi final was launched by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The institution based at Place de la Concorde has entrusted the process to Peter Bayer, Secretary General dedicated to Sports and recently appointed Director of the Single-Seater branch.
The events in Abu Dhabi are under fire from criticism. As a reminder, Max Verstappen won this season’s last Grand Prix, which secured him the world title at the expense of Lewis Hamilton, following a restart on the final lap of the race. This restart concluded a series of confused decisions from the Race Direction that angered Mercedes. The British team accused the stewards of not respecting the sporting regulations.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the new president of the FIA, is personally involved in the investigations. According to a spokesperson for the Federation, the investigation will be “thorough, objective, and transparent”. Before drawing conclusions, the investigators will hear from all the people involved, including Race Director Michael Masi, the concerned drivers, as well as representatives from the Mercedes and Red Bull teams.
In a second step, the FIA plans to hold discussions with all Formula 1 drivers and teams on various topics, including those related to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The findings from these investigations, discussions, and analyses will be presented to the F1 Commission in February, and the final decisions will be announced at the World Motor Sport Council on March 18, which coincides with the first free practice session of the season in Bahrain.
Is Lewis Hamilton’s future at stake?
Since the Emirati final, complete silence reigns around Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion has indeed not posted anything on his social media and did not attend the FIA Prize Giving Gala on December 16th. Rumors have even been spreading about a surprise retirement of the native of Stevenage, still disgusted by what happened to him in Yas Marina. A few days ago, a source at Mercedes stated that Hamilton would wait for the conclusions of the FIA investigation before speaking out. The ball is now in Mr. Ben Sulayem and his teams’ court. See you in the coming weeks…
