The former Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT driver Vitantonio Liuzzi has been sharing his opinion with the three other stewards with no racing experience in the Formula 1 race supervisory committees in recent years.
In a recent speech, the 44-year-old Italian spoke about how, in his opinion, racing has become rougher in the last couple of years, and since Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s championship fight in 2021, some drivers are allowing themselves too much, too dangerous things.
“I would like them to race hard, it’s good for the show, but they should do it safely, you have to find a balance. The line is thin, but it has to be drawn somewhere, because things can tip over” – he explained on the Inside Line podcast.
“I think that in 2021 Hamilton and Verstappen sharpened the fight, it was an impressive season, one of the best of the last two decades, but at the same time they made F1 more dangerous. Then, in Monza, the incident could have been much worse, and then the following year at the Hungaroring it was also dangerous. We don’t want things to depend on luck. For the sake of the sport and the drivers sitting in the car, we strive for the greatest possible safety.”
Liuzzi added that in the past five years, he always tried to judge the positions impartially, and although he had to make “difficult decisions” many times, he always explained the background to those involved, who, according to him, trust him and the other competition inspectors.
“I think it is important to have a former competitor in the committee, from the point of view of the internal operation, but also to have a better understanding in the dialogue with the pilots” he pointed.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) and its president have received a lot of criticism in the last couple of years, many people – including the drivers – would like permanent competition inspectors to replace those currently working on a rotating, voluntary basis.
Liuzzi says that he does not know the specifics, but “the position of the supervisory organization may change in the future”, because according to him, the president, Mohammed bin Sulaim, is also paying attention to the criticisms and will certainly hold a dialogue with the teams and the management of Formula 1.
Source: www.vezess.hu
