The FIA’s report on the contentious conclusion to the 2021 world championship was a long time coming.
It was made public 97 days after the final race of last year, and one day before the first race of the new season. Whether or not this was by design, it left little time for reflection on its contents, which were presented little over an hour before the cars hit the track for the first qualifying session of 2022.
However the fact any report appeared at all was remarkable. The sport’s governing body had a strong incentive to downplay its reaction to the Abu Dhabi controversy, and in the immediate aftermath of the race that seemed to be the direction it would take.
In announcing its reaction the FIA conceded only that the handling of the disputed Abu Dhabi Grand Prix “generated significant misunderstanding and reactions from Formula 1 teams, drivers and fans”, which appeared to leave no room for an admission something had gone badly wrong. In response it promised an “analysis…