Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton to get what they want as FIA president breaks silence

THE FIA has a new president with Mohammed Ben Sulayem replacing Jean Todt last month.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton may get their wish ahead of the 2022 F1 season judging by comments from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Mercedes are still attempting to move past the controversial events from the season finale in Abu Dhabi just three weeks ago.

Max Verstappen won his first world championship in contentious circumstances due to Michael Masi’s decision to allow lapped cars between the two title contenders to unlap themselves for the final lap.

On fresher tyres, Verstappen eventually made his move past Hamilton to take the chequered flag, sparking wild celebrations in the Red Bull garage.

There was a huge contrast of emotions in the Mercedes garage though as Wolff soon stormed back to his offices before lodging two appeals to the race stewards.

Both were rejected with Verstappen eventually confirmed as the 2021 F1 world champion.

But there have been calls from Mercedes for the rules to be looked at so a similar situation doesn’t arise in the future.

It’s already looking likely that team principals will no longer have direct contact with race director Masi from next season.

Wolff accepted that he “overstepped” the mark on occasions in his conversations with Masi.

He said: “This certainly was part of the failures this year that, under pressure from the team principals, the race director’s life wasn’t made easier.

“So we need to come back. The team principal shouldn’t speak directly to the race director. It should be the sporting directors.”

Ben Sulayem has already looked over a bunch of footage from contentious moments over the course of last season.

And the newly-elected FIA president admits that rules will be changed before the start of the 2022 campaign.

“I have been elected just two weeks ago, but I have studied all the facts,” he told Marca.

“We have a dynamic sport and the rules also have to be dynamic.

“Rules should always be improved – incident or uneventful.

“The development of motorsport is going very fast and you have to adapt to that, but being proactive rather than reactive.

“Decisions will be made to move forward, without pressure from anyone.

“But that does not mean that we are not going to analyse the rules and make the necessary improvements.

“The rules are written by humans, not by gods, so they have to be evolved by men as well.”

Credit: Daily Express,Marca,CNN,Getty Images.