Next week pre-season testing for the 2022 Formula 1 season begins ahead of the first race in Bahrain in March. Before that, however, the FIA has to address the numerous controversies that popped up throughout 2021.
While the final race in Abu Dhabi is the one that sticks out in many people’s minds, there were also instances akin to “Deal or No Deal” where teams bargained with race director Michael Masi.
On that note, Masi is being replaced as F1 race director by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freita who will alternate the role. Herbie Blash who acted as deputy to Charlie Whiting is now the permanent senior advisor.
What caught our attention however was the addition of a Virtual Race Control Room.
“Alike the Video Assistance Referee (VAR) in football, it will be positioned in one of the FIA Offices as a backup outside the circuit. In real-time connection with the FIA F1 race director, it will help to apply the sporting regulations using the most modern technological tools,” explains FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
It’s not clear what “modern technological tools” Sulayem is referring to here but if we had to guess our money would be on artificial intelligence and machine learning.
We are curious to see how the inclusion of the Virtual Race Control Room impacts the racing we see on any given day. We know that drivers like to push track limits and many drivers have said that the new, larger tyres being introduced this season take some getting used to. We suspect that this combination this will lead to more penalties being awarded during the next season.
Sadly, viewers will no longer be able to hear teams communicating with the race director. While teams can still contact either Wittich or Freita, this will be done via a “well-defined and non-intrusive process”. We quite like hearing these communications but they are often presented without context and can lead to controversies where there are none.
As for Masi, he is being offered another job within the FIA. Perhaps he’ll join Bernd Mayländer to learn more about the proper procedure for the unlapping of cars under the safety car.
