The FIA originally seemed to view the controversy over the conclusion to last year’s world championship in Abu Dhabi as being largely a matter of perception.
“The circumstances surrounding the use of the Safety Car following the incident of driver Nicholas Latifi, and the related communications between the FIA race direction team and the Formula 1 teams, have notably generated significant misunderstanding and reactions from Formula 1 teams, drivers and fans, an argument that is currently tarnishing the image of the championship and the due celebration of the first drivers’ world championship title won by Max Verstappen and the eighth consecutive constructors’ world championship title won by Mercedes,” noted a statement from the World Motor Sport Council on the Wednesday after the race.
Then-FIA president Jean Todt agreed to a “detailed analysis and clarification exercise for the future” in order to “draw any lessons from this situation and [for] clarity to be provided…