The entire Formula E grid has signed a letter addressed to the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, complaining about a slew of grievances.
The 20 drivers laid out their frustrations with stewarding, race direction, and the application of the sporting regulations within the series.
The Race has reported that Lucas Di Grassi and Oliver Rowland sent the letter on March 11. The letter itself began with the more lighthearted claim that the drivers “see a lot of effort and improvement year over year with the local ASNs, marshalling, safety, track conditions, technical fairness and general protocols”.
However, it quickly shifted when drivers said they wished to “formally express our shared and growing concern regarding the current standard, consistency, and procedural coherence of stewarding and race direction within the championship”.
It covered issues such as inconsistent decision-making, lack of continuity in steward panels, and driver advisors lacking Formula E-specific expertise, as well as the race director’s decision-making logic, his leadership, communication, and transparency.
They doubled down on one of the most notable concerns, the Formula E race director, Marek Hanaczewski. The drivers seemingly losing faith in the director as they said, “internal evaluation of [the] race director [sic] understanding and reasoning of the sporting rules”, adding “without the capacity – and humility – to acknowledge and learn from mistakes, there is little evidence of continuous improvement”.
It was clear that the drivers are looking for more consistency and clearer decision-making.
The conclusion summarised the above points and urged the creation of a “formal structured driver-race direction forum, publishing clearer championship-specific stewarding guidelines, an independent review of stewarding consistency”.
They also hoped for the “creation of error-correcting mechanisms in the processing of applying and delivering penalties”.
Team Principals in the dark
Despite all 20 drivers on the grid signing the letter, the reports are that the Team Principals were unaware of the letter until after its delivery.
Allegedly, many bosses knew of the complaints and of the possibility of the communications, yet they were not informed that the letter had been drafted, signed, and sent to Ben Sulayem.
According to The Race, this has already sparked tensions within teams, with some drivers braced for potential fines or missing out on bonuses.
When contacted by Motorsport Week for comment, an FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA is in regular correspondence with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship manufacturers, teams and drivers on a variety of topics.
“We are reviewing the comments on sporting matters raised recently by drivers, and will continue with the same proactive approach to develop and invest in this championship, ensuring the highest standards are maintained.”
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