(from autosport) The FIA is to overhaul the way that Formula One race stewards operate this season in a bid to deal more efficiently with incidents over a Grand Prix weekend, autosport.com has learned. With permanent race steward Tony-Scott Andrews retiring from his role at the end of last year, having been in that position since the start of 2006, the FIA has used the opportunity to restructure the stewards' organisation for the start of the new season. Rather than having a permanent steward operating alongside two designated race stewards - one international and one from the national sporting authority - the FIA has decided to now use three nominated stewards at each event. Furthermore, the three officials who are chosen for each event will be assisted by FIA president Max Mosley's official representative Alan Donnelly - who it is hoped will manage the decision-making process more efficiently than was seen at times last year. And in a bid to ensure total impartiality of decisions, the appointed FIA stewards at each race will be chosen from nationalities that are totally neutral - so they are not the same as any of F1's competitors. It is hoped the new system will provide more consistency in rulings and also deal with matters in a swifter way than was seen at times last year. It is understood that one of the catalysts for the change was the fact that it took the FIA stewards five days after last year's Japanese Grand Prix to rule on whether or not Lewis Hamilton did anything wrong in his driving behind the safety car in Fuji.
And in a bid to ensure total impartiality of decisions, the appointed FIA stewards at each race will be chosen from nationalities that are totally neutral - so they are not the same as any of F1's competitors. Uh oh. Hope that doesn't mean they'll all be American NASCAR officials then
Yes. The US has no drivers, no cars, no teams. Other possibilities. Borneo, Thailand, Viet Nam and Russia.
I've always wondered why they don't just have professional stewards that travel with the circus. That way you get consistency and accountability directly to FIA. Makes no sense. -dsd
I think that it would be "good for the sport" and definitely tv ratings boosting if they have one steward from each of the top 3 teams, or one fan from each of the top 3 teams' fanbase present at the given race. Then we would be able to watch F1 racing, Jerry Springer, soap opera and wrestling all at once. Berney will die in an orgasmic heart attack and Max would stop coming up with stupid ideas "to make the sport more attractive" as it won't be needed.
