Jean Todt has published a glossy brochure outlining his plans for the FIA after the presidential election in October. You can read it by clicking here. The message is that with teamwork the FIA will be a better organisation. This is true. The biggest problem Todt faces is convincing the Formula 1 world that it wants to work with him, as many of the team owners have unhappy memories of him from the days when he was running Ferrari. The media too seems rather less than keen on the Frenchman.
Todt is proposing that each FIA World Championship should have its own commissioner, responsible for the federation’s day-to-day management and governance of the championship.
“The Commissioner will represent the FIA in all regulatory and commercial issues relating to the championship, reporting to the World Council and relevant sporting commissions. A system of Commissioners will reduce the need for the FIA President,or Deputy to become directly involved in any particular Championship and give more time to the leadership to concentrate on the strategic management of the FIA as a whole embracing the twin pillars of both mobility and motor sport”.
This is a good idea, but clearly the choice of commissioner will be very important and the freedom of movement given him or her is a key element in whether or not this would actually work. What is clearly needed is someone who is seen to be sensible and independently-minded.
Todt’s team is also proposing a system of dispute resolution that is “fair and transparent”
“Stewards play a crucial role in the governance of motor sport, ensuring fair play, safety and respect for the rules. As volunteers they make an enormous contribution to every event on the International Sporting Calendar. Serving as a steward is a challenging role requiring tough and independent decision-making where all too often the right decision is not necessarily the most popular. At the same time public and competitor confidence in the stewards is vital. We, therefore, propose to establish a Stewards Review Group to examine improvements to the stewarding system of the FIA’s major championships, and also to explore the development of stewards training courses to encourage their professional development. Traditionally the World Motor Sport Council has taken a direct role in investigating, and deciding on disciplinary matters referred to it under the International Sporting Code. Such cases can be both very time-consuming, and controversial. Given that the World Council is the principle executive arm of the FIA’s system of governance, we propose that a separate Disciplinary Panel be established which will carry out investigations, hold hearings and recommended possible penalties to the World Council. This will ensure that there is a greater separation between the disciplinary process and the World Council whilst retaining the latter’s final authority over any possible sanction.”
Once again this is a good idea, but the membership of the panel is clearly going to be important.
Todt is also proposing regional centres of excellence.
“Motor sport is entering a global age in which the aspiration to race or rally can be found in all regions of the world. The rapid increase in the use of motor vehicles in Africa, Asia and Latin America is extending still further the scope for motor sport to reach new competitors and audiences. The FIA must respond to this era of growth and develop its leadership role in promoting safe, sustainable and affordable motorsport. To do this we believe the FIA should establish Regional Centres of Excellence that can serve as multi-purpose venues for competition, training and regional co-ordination.
“Such centres could become th catalyst for programmes of assistance for young drivers, officials and volunteer training, club development and member recruitment. The FIA Foundation and the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety are potential partners in establishing such regional centres in partnership with our ASNs and we would propose jointly creating a project group with them to explore this proposal in detail.”
I can’t believe in this day and age he is proposing to stick with volunteer stewards. Surely the most high tech sport in the world should have professional stewards rather than FIA politicians with no experience.
There are people who have acted as stewards at other levels for many years. Surely the best of these should be promoted to F1 and paid well. These people have experience of 1000s of races and are properly trained and qualified.
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I wonder, what’s the betting that Todt would favour, hmmm, let’s see, … some chap called Max Mosley as the Commissioner for Formula 1
Yes Ben i was thinking exactly the same thing as i read the article.
Yes, all very nice in theory. We’d all like all those things. Any chance of some specifics? Or is it a matter of seeing whose vote might be influenced by strategic job offers? Nothing Jean Todt could get up to would surprise me.
The other sport for which I have a passion is rugby and, despite huge efforts from the IRB, the way the game is refereed varies markedly from hemisphere to hemisphere, even country to country.
This results in players having to adapt the way they play dependent on which referee they encounter.
For example, on the recent British Lions tour a different referee was used for each test match and each had surprisingly (even for rugby) different approached to how the game should be handled. A certain Mr Phil Vickery went from zero to hero because the referee in the first test didn’t spot the opposing prop cheating. Yet in the third test match, a different reefree did notice his illegal techniques and dealt with it!
Obviously in rugby the same guy can’t refereee every game so there will always be some inconsistency. However, in Formula One there is absolutely no reason why the same team of stewards cannot be used for every race.
F1 should move beyond providing a ‘jolly’ for blazered members of various auto clubs. It needs a dedicated and consistent team of professionals who can apply their decisions consistently. Surely this is the only answer?
Selecting those stewards is another matter!
I forgot to ask… do you fancy the job Joe?
Todt needs to name his commissioners!
He could also start to prove himself closer to his new home and do something about the driving standards in Malaysia, he gets paid enough but does nothing of use to the average Malaysian motorist who wants safer driving conditions instead of constant horrific accidents!
I was wondering if anyone has tried this Sports Handicapping Service? I discovered his video on Youtube and it turns out the service is sold through clickbank which means it comes with a 60 day money back guarantee. Was wondering what peoples thoughts were.