F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Urges FIA To Make Huge Change In Stewarding Process
In light of recent stewarding controversies, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has suggested that Formula 1 consider the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to aid the FIA in decision-making. This comes after the FIA acknowledged its flawed judgment during the Singapore Grand Prix, failing to penalise Max Verstappen for impeding.
Key Takeaways
- The FIA admitted its oversight in not penalising Max Verstappen and Logan Sargeant during the Singapore Grand Prix, both of whom were deemed to have impeded other drivers during qualifying but were left unpunished.
- Lewis Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with the inconsistency in decisions and has proposed the possibility of utilising artificial intelligence to enhance the accuracy and consistency of stewarding verdicts.
- Mercedes driver and GPDA director George Russell has also commented on the need for consistency and stricter enforcement in relation to on-track blockages.
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As the F1 geared up for the Japanese Grand Prix, lingering debates from the previous race were brought up. Notably, the FIA confessed to F1 teams that the contentious decision to overlook Max Verstappen's impediment in Singapore was a mistake.
While the FIA admitted that both Verstappen and Sargeant deserved three-place grid penalties, they also clarified that these decisions would not serve as references for future judgments.
Hamilton, when probed about the FIA's acknowledgment, displayed evident disapproval, stating to the media:
“Not really. How many years have we… That rule has been the same for ages, you know? I think we need to start looking into AI for this sort of thing, so we get good decisions.”
Further emphasising the potential of technology, he added:
“I would like to see whether AI could do a better job or not.”
His teammate, George Russell, commented on the anomaly, noting:
"It was definitely a bit strange to see even Max got away with those reprimands last week. We obviously always look for consistency... last week was obviously a bit of a slam dunk. So it was strange why it didn't happen.”