Beginning of Formula One’s 2024 Season Revs Up Controversy
Juliana Mori
Staff Writer
The race to be the 74th Formula One (F1) world driver champion has commenced and the start of the new season has brought many controversies – principally, Red Bull Racing’s team principal being accused of inappropriate behavior, changing Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) regulations, and Lewis Hamilton’s first title is at risk of being overturned, according to the New York Times.
F1 is one of the most prestigious racing series in the vast world of motorsports. In recent years, F1 has attracted a new generation of spectators due to the “Netflixization” of the sport – a marketing phenomenon that occurred with the release of the popular Netflix series “Drive to Survive.” The sport’s drama and controversy did not just begin with the Netflixization of the sport, it did amplify it by creating a new lens for audiences.
Red Bull, the sport’s most dominant team, is often the subject of controversy. Recently, team principal Christian Horner has been accused of “inappropriate behavior” by an unnamed female employee who has since been suspended, says Sports Illustrated. Horner has denied all reports of misconduct and encouraged the media’s focus to be on F1’s racing and not the sport’s internal issues. After an internal investigation was conducted by a senior independent lawyer for the team, the claim was dismissed.
The complainant has appealed the dismissal and escalated this accusation to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body of motorsports, reports Reuters. The FIA released a statement neither confirming nor denying the continuation of the investigation, stating that reports of this nature are “managed by the Compliance Officer and the Ethics Committee where appropriate,” says . This controversy has split the opinions of many, including the reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen, and his father Jos Verstappen. Verstappen’s father stated after the Bahrain Grand Prix that if Horner continued to be team principal, the team would be at risk of being torn apart. The World Champion plays a key role in the sponsorships and success of the team, and the events occurring off-track have created uncertainty about whether he will renew his contract with Red Bull in 2028. Many have called for the resignation of Horner because of multiple reports of misconduct.
While internal conflicts create tensions in the sport, additional factors make this 2024 season unique, especially the new regulations instituted by the FIA. Review, increased fines, more severe penalties, and minor adjustments to the Sprint format are among the most controversial. The review time periods have been shortened, so if a team would want to appeal a decision made by the race stewards in a previous race, they will only have 4 days to do so; a significant difference from the previous 14-day period. There is a potential for more severe penalties and fines. Penalties are served during the race, and the stewards are authorized to increase the time penalties, so drivers can be at risk for more 10-second penalties than 5-second penalties. The previous cap for fines of €250,000 has since been increased to €1,000,000. These are all decisions that will continue to influence F1 on and off track.
More changes to the regulations instituted by the FIA will surely change the way the races are performed. One driver who is attributed to attracting many viewers to the sport, Lewis Hamilton, is at risk of losing his first-ever World Championship title. Hamilton is a fierce advocate for human rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, the inclusion of women and people of color in motorsport, a proponent of LGBTQIA+ rights, and a phenomenal driver. This advocacy has led him to be in controversies because of his willingness to expose certain aspects of F1 culture. The FIA made a rule restricting drivers’ ability to speak about social and political issues, according to CNBC. However, his advocacy made him a popular figure that spectators support. Hamilton made the controversial move to switch teams from Mercedes, where he has won 6 championships, to Ferrari, a mid-field team. However, since Mercedes has not able to construct a competitive car recently, Hamilton made the controversial move.
Moreover, Felipe Massa, a former Formula One driver, is suing the FIA in a London court because he lost the 2008 World Driver Championship due to an event called “Crashgate” in the Singapore Grand Prix, according to Racing News 365. “Crashgate” occurred when a driver on the grid deliberately crashed his car, causing the safety car to come out onto the track. Massa’s pit stop during the safety car was botched, resulting in him failing to score a point and losing the championship. In the lawsuit, Massa is seeking $82 million minimum damages from the FIA because there is a significant financial loss from not having the Championship title.
Image courtesy of Getty Images
