Zak Brown compares F1 stewards ‘thankless job’ to Football referees amidst FIA saga
Zak Brown believed that refereeing any sport was a 'thankless job' amidst the FIA stewards being berated for its recent rulings.
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Zak Brown (via IMAGO), Tony Chapron giving red card Mario Balotelli (via Sky Sports)
The FIA and the stewards have continued to receive massive flak recently due to multiple controversial rulings during races. A majority of the individuals in the sport demanded ‘permanent’ stewards while Mohammed Ben Sulayem cleared why it might not be possible. McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who previously urged the teams to pay for stewards’ salaries, made a comparison between Football referees and FIA stewards.
FIA CEO Mohammed Ben Sulayem had hit out on the drivers for not wanting to pay the salaries for ‘permanent stewards’. Zak Brown was ready to pay for the steward’s salaries claiming that the cost wouldn’t be too expensive. Amidst the ongoing row between the FIA and the drivers, Brown raised an important concern.
Brown highlighted that in a multi-billion sport like Formula 1, the right call needed to be made during races. The 53-year-old reckoned that he wouldn’t want to be a referee in any sport due to it being a ‘thankless job’. Moreover, the Briton believed that the pinnacle of motorsport was set up for failure if they did not appoint full-time stewards.
Here we are in a multi-billion sport and everything was on the line to make the right call. I wouldn’t want to be a referee in any sport, right? You know, whether it’s football or motor racing, you know, it’s kind of a thankless job. I don’t think we’re set up for success by not having full-time stewards.
Zak Brown said on the F1 podcast
Zak Brown applauds Max Vertsappen’s ‘understanding’ of the rule book
Max Verstappen is famously known to push the limits due to his exceptional understanding of the rules. Zak Brown claimed that the rule book was ‘too prescriptive’ as it didn’t always pan out well in real-life situations. Despite the rules being too strict, Brown applauded Verstappen for his ‘understanding’ of the rule book.
I think the rule book is too prescriptive. This whole you know whoever’s at the apex first, but then they didn’t think it through. What if you actually can’t make the corner? Max has done a great job of absolutely understanding what the rules say.
Zak Brown noted
The FIA is continuing to grant more power to the stewards for better decision-making in the intense moments in the racing. The governing body had recently imposed a ban on ill-talking the FIA and using abusive language. Hence, the sport will continue to make errors and learn from them to create better conditions for the drivers in the coming years.
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Aditya Pandya
(1511 Articles Published)