FIA under fire from drivers and the public - why that's not (always) fair

It is the fate of every regulator or referee in any sport. If a process runs smoothly, it's taken for granted and no one notices. If something goes wrong, the world falls upon you. For the FIA, it's no different, as was made clear again in the last few weeks - and that's not always fair.

A few weeks ago, when Charles Leclerc was asked about his first experience with the simulator during a press moment, he was very negative: ''I think it's no secret that I think the regulations for next year are going to be probably less enjoyable for drivers to drive. I'm not a big fan of it for now,'' was his initial experience with the simulator.

Leclerc complained about the regulations

What was overlooked was that Leclerc had barely driven for the first time in the simulator with the '26 car, for an hour or two, and the version that was used in Maranello is already outdated. But the image was created: Leclerc was critical of the FIA, who had come up with a technical regulation that the drivers were not happy with. It's far less mentioned that Leclerc has since toned down a bit.

Unintentionally, the motorsport federation once again found itself in the spotlight, while the cars being raced in '26 look absolutely nothing like the cars used in the first simulator tests. But the damage has already been done.

Max Verstappen was critical of the FIA at Spa

Criticism after the Belgian Grand Prix

The FIA also came under fire after the Belgian Grand Prix, as they were claimed to have waited too long before starting the rain-delayed race. Max Verstappen, in particular, was very outspoken, arguing that the world motorsport federation shouldn't have waited until the track was nearly dry.

His target: the FIA, who in turn had valid reasons to delay. Importantly, what if someone had crashed severely on the slippery circuit following the spray of a fellow racer and thereby ended up injured - or worse? Who would then have been under attack? That same FIA would get blamed as irresponsible by the same people as before. In this scenario too, whatever FIA did, would never have been right.

There are also matters where the FIA could have acted differently and where criticism was justified. Surely, the motorsport federation is the first to recognize it. But as the entity that upholds, implements, and controls the rules, you are also the first one to be put on the chopping block. The last few weeks have made that clear once again, and that was not always fair.

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