Joaquín Verdegay, former Formula 1 commissioner and president of the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation, has expressed his dissatisfaction with some recent decisions by the FIA ??stewards, pointing out a “lack of control” in the latest decisions they have made regarding actions that deserve penalties. .
In this sense, Verdegay has supported Fernando Alonso’s complaints, highlighting the validity of his concerns about the refereeing process in races.
In statements to Radio Marca, Verdegay has emphasized that he does not perceive a persecution against the Spanish drivers, but rather a general disorder in the rules and procedures of the FIA. He has expressed concern about the lack of consistency in decisions, questioning the rationale for certain measures, such as the interruption of races due to adverse weather conditions or racing behind the safety car.
Furthermore, Verdegay has highlighted the growing preference for automatic sanctions by technology instead of human intervention. “The drivers feel much more satisfied when a machine sanctions you than when an official sanctions them because they think that the machine has no wishes,” he said, showing his concern about the impact on sporting integrity.
The former commissioner has also addressed the recent incidents in which Fernando Alonso has been penalized, as well as the controversy surrounding the lack of sanction against Lewis Hamilton in Miami. Although he acknowledged the difficulty of interpreting the regulations, Verdegay stated that not all actions on the track should be penalized and expressed his disagreement with both the sanction to Alonso in China and the lack of penalty to Hamilton in the United States.
Ultimately, Verdegay suggests that Formula 1’s current approach to sanctions could be harming the enjoyment of the sport, by turning races into events more focused on spectacle than genuine sporting competition. “The races are intended to be more of a party than a sporting spectacle,” he concluded, reflecting his concern about the direction that the sport of elite motorsport is taking.
