Qualifying sprints, controversy or a huge show: what is the political view of the 2021 season?

Changes in the FIA and F1 presidency, a huge show, not a few controversies or the introduction of budget ceilings. Formula 1 in 2021 has brought many changes in the most important positions and, as usual, political events are an integral part of the F1 world. What is the view of the 2021 season from this perspective?

Changes to the FIA and F1 presidency

The very start of the season has already brought one huge change, even at the very top of F1’s management structure. Stefano Domenicali has been appointed to the position of President and CEO as far as Formula 1’s commercial rights are concerned.

Then, in the final drama surrounding the championship fight, it was almost overlooked that Jean Todt had stepped down as FIA president. However, let’s not find anything speculative about that, Todt had not only reached the three-year limit for holding the post, but had also reached the age limit for re-election – seventy-five.

The Frenchman’s place was thus taken by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, which can also be considered a very significant event. Why?

Because he is the first non-European to hold the highest office in world motorsport since the federation was formed in 1904.

As the Arab sheikhs in the football environment prove, the new head of the International Automobile Federation will certainly be a very influential person. We have seen drastic changes in the World Motor Sport Council, where countries such as Germany, France and Italy have lost their seats.

Budget caps, a new era of Formula 1, qualifying sprints

Another important decision is the introduction of budget caps at $145 million. This will subsequently be further reduced and is to be carefully reviewed each year, which has caused considerable wrinkles for the teams.

Not only will some teams have to resort to layoffs and thus also reduce resources, but above all, of course, the development of new monoposts will be affected.

And then there’s the new era of Formula 1, the flip side of which is the fact it normally takes at least two years to develop completely new regulations. And we can all probably imagine the controversy that the next two editions could cause if teams find various loopholes in the regulations and the racing itself.

The weakness of 2021, however, is that although F1 promised to start the planned ‘rewrite’ of the regulations from 2021 onwards, this has hardly happened and there are already delays. And while such a rewrite cannot be completed in a single year, it should at least streamline their provisions and remove conflicting clauses – particularly those found in the sporting regulations.

Unfortunately, this means that we are likely to see various controversies in the next season as well. What also affected the political situation in Formula 1 was the introduction of sprint qualifying. This is a solid financial injection for the promoters of the grand prix, but many fans do not like this project.

It should also be noted that six such sprints are planned for the 2022 season. However, team bosses are trying to come up with a better concept, which of course would suit the teams and F1 fans more sportingly.

We must also mention the events of the last two events. They have affected both the sporting and the political scene in F1. It obviously casts a very bad light on the F1 management, and more specifically on Michael Massi.

Quite simply, in the queen of motorsport, it must not happen that the race director interprets some of the regulations in his own way. This is indicative of F1’s somewhat poor approach to sporting regulations.

Not to mention that if these controversies were to be repeated in the years to come, it would clearly tarnish the reputation of F1 and there can be no question of any respect for the race director either.

Looking at the numbers, Formula 1 has seen its share price increase from $40.74 to $62.60 thanks to the huge show and Domenicali’s work as F1 president.

There will be some political fallout from the end of Kimi Räikkönen’s active career in F1. The former Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and McLaren driver has a record 349 starts and celebrated winning the championship in 2007.

The entry of new brands into F1 and the departure of Honda

The Qatar Grand Prix is another important issue. This will bring Formula 1 closer to the powerful Qatari sheikhs. After all, Qatar also owns a 17% stake in the Volkswagen Group, which plans to enter F1 through the Audi and Porsche brands.

It should be noted that Formula 1 needs these brands, firstly from the point of view of the audience, as it will be another and equally interesting extension, and from the financial point of view, and last but not least, of course, from the political point of view.

We’ll stay with the automakers for a while – we can’t help but mention Honda’s departure from Formula 1. However, one fundamental question logically arises. Is Honda really leaving F1 or is it doing so in name only?

Honda is to continue to supply Red Bull and Alpha Tauri with “unbranded” engines from its Sakura base in Japan until the end of 2025, for a somewhat exorbitant fee, but still cheaper for Red Bull than Red Bull Powertrains currently preparing to build and rebuild power units.

Finally…

Formula 1 said goodbye to two of the sport’s major figures this year. The controversial and at times enigmatic former FIA president Max Mosley and an absolute legend – Frank Williams.

The former Williams boss has dedicated his life to motorsport and has been knighted for his services. They both shaped the world of Formula One in their own way, but in different ways.

A fantastic and in many ways controversial season was capped off by an absolutely riveting battle for the title between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. To finish, enjoy the last round of the 2021 season, which decided the world championship.

F1, Race Fans, Twitter