Oct.28 (GMM) Formula 1’s governing body is facing heavy criticism following a chaotic Mexican GP – with drivers, team bosses, and pundits slamming inconsistent officiating and a near-miss involving marshals on track.
The most alarming moment came when Liam Lawson narrowly avoided hitting marshals who ran across the circuit. “Oh my God, are you kidding me?” the Racing Bulls driver shouted over team radio. “I could have f***ing killed them.”
The FIA issued a statement to explain how such a lapse could occur in the sport’s supposedly safety-obsessed era. “As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had pitted, the instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown in that area.
“We are still investigating what occurred after that point.”
The incident compounded anger over another FIA call – deploying a Virtual Safety Car with just two laps to go as Max Verstappen was closing on Charles Leclerc for second place. Williams driver Carlos Sainz had spun off and retired with smoke from his car, but replays showed he was already behind barriers on a slow section of the track.
Dr Helmut Marko described it as “a late farewell gift” from Sainz to his former team Ferrari.
The FIA again defended its decision. “As is standard procedure when marshals are deployed to recover a car, the race is neutralised – in this case, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was triggered until the car was moved to a safe location behind the barriers.
“The VSC ended as soon as the car was in a protected position, and the race concluded under green-flag conditions.”
Critics scoffed at that reasoning after onboard footage showed Sainz driving behind the barriers himself. The FIA later released a helicopter image to argue that his car was still partially exposed.
Former F1 driver Christijan Albers told De Telegraaf the decision “ruined” the race’s finish. “I’ve never experienced anything like this. You just want a fight on the last lap. What is this?
“I really don’t want the FIA’s explanation anymore – I haven’t even read it. I’m not interested in those reports.”
He called the smoke justification ridiculous. “When you switch off a Formula 1 car, it always smokes a little,” he said, adding that the marshals’ incident with Lawson was the one that actually did warrant a safety car.
Albers said inconsistent officiating has become a defining issue of the season.
“Which race this season has gone well for the FIA? When has it gone smoothly?” he asked.
“They can’t handle criticism. They’re quick to hand out penalties and long explanations, but never admit mistakes or say how they’ll improve. You never hear that, and it disappoints me.”
“The FIA generates enormous money – these kinds of mistakes shouldn’t happen,” he added. “Did you see the chaos at the start and how long it took them to show the footage? It was a real mess.”
Drivers were equally incensed. George Russell fumed that cars cutting corners at the start went unpunished. “In the end, those who followed the rules were the losers,” he said.
Aston Martin official Mike Krack revealed that Fernando Alonso was “very angry” about inconsistent decisions. “At Turn 1 it sometimes seems like everyone does whatever they want,” he said. “I understand why the FIA doesn’t want to make mistakes, but it’s difficult – and it doesn’t happen the same way at every circuit.”
Alonso himself was sarcastic. “Well, cutting corners is allowed now, right?” he said. “You can make an escape move to avoid contact, that’s fine – but you can’t go flat out and gain two or three positions.
“We’ll just try to take advantage of it next time.”
Lewis Hamilton also criticised the FIA after receiving a time penalty while Verstappen escaped sanction for a similar move. “I’m very disappointed with the governing body,” he said. “There’s a clear double standard – everyone can see that. But it is what it is.”
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur agreed. “That wasn’t handled well,” he said. “I’m not saying penalties should vary by circuit, but you have to understand what you’re doing. Those ten seconds cost us P4.”
As Albers summed up: “It’s always something. Every weekend there’s confusion, inconsistency, or delay. It’s just not good enough for Formula 1.”
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