Brown's bold proposal: F1 teams could help fund FIA stewards
Today at 09:11 AM
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has thrown his weight behind the FIA's push for more professional Formula 1 race stewarding, even suggesting teams contribute financially to make it happen.
Brown admits, however, that his proposal might not be a popular one with McLaren's rivals.
Formula 1's governing body is currently working on a new Officials Department aimed at training a more qualified dedicated group of race officials, including stewards and race directors.
FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem has raised concerns over the shortage of trained officials, prompting structural changes within the governing body.
Last year, the FIA unexpectedly parted ways with F1 race director Niels Wittich, as well as long-time steward Tim Mayer. And this week, former F1 driver and Johnny Herbert was dismissed from his role as an FIA steward due to the Briton's media conflicts.
FIA Seeks Professionalization of Race Officiating
A key part of the FIA's plan is to move towards more full-time, remunerated officials, rather than relying solely on volunteers, as the FIA's single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis, recently explained.
"It's getting a bit unfair to just rely on people to do it out of their good heart," Tombazis told Motorsport.com. "We want to go to a more professional body in the future.
"That's not to exclude volunteers, but it's to have a body that can spend the Monday morning after a race analysing every single decision, making sure it was reached correctly, seeing what could be improved."
However, the question remains: who will bear the cost of employing full-time stewards?
Brown Proposes Teams Help Cover Costs
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange in London, Brown suggested that F1 teams could share the financial burden.
"To have part-time, unpaid stewards in a multi-billion-dollar sport where everything is on the line to make the right call... I don't think we are set up for success by not having full-time stewards," Brown said.
"The individuals are fine but the rulebook is too restrictive. I'd like us to take a step back, loosen it up. Have full-time stewards who can make more of a subjective decision of whether that was right or wrong.
"As far as paying for the stewards, this will probably be unpopular amongst my fellow teams. I'm happy if McLaren and all the racing teams contribute.
"It's so important for the sport. It can't be that expensive if everybody contributes. It's not going to break the bank.
"What I don't know is what's the relationship contractually between the FIA and Formula 1 as far as what's the level of expectations on stewarding. But at the end of the day, the agreement says part-time stewarding is not paid."
'If You Want Change, You Must Pay'
The McLaren chief emphasized that if teams truly want improvements in stewarding, they must be willing to invest in the changes necessary to make it happen.
"In any business, if you want something different, it's called a change order and if you want to change something, you have to pay for it," he added.
"So, if we have to pay for it, in the big scheme of things I do not think it will be a significant amount.
"If it comes back to McLaren where you pay a percentage and what F1 will pay and what the FIA will pay, if you break up that fee, it is not that much but I think it is that important."
While Brown's stance underscores his commitment to improving race officiating, it remains to be seen how other teams will respond to the idea of contributing financially to full-time FIA stewards.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
The post Brown's bold proposal: F1 teams could help fund FIA stewards appeared first on F1i.com.
