The controversial conclusion to the 2021 world championship triggered sweeping changes in how Formula 1 is officiated.
But former race director Michael Masi’s handling of the now notorious last-lap restart which decided the world championship was not the only time the application of F1’s rules was called into question.
Track limits were a persistent bone of contention. So were perceived inconsistencies in decisions regarding on-track incidents, particularly the issue of drivers forcing rivals wide in Austria (Lando Norris and Sergio Perez) and Brazil (Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton). And more besides.
The FIA did not make a like-for-like replacement when Masi was moved aside. Two people were appointed to share the role, the first of which, DTM race director Niels Wittich, oversaw all of the first five rounds. World Endurance Championship race director Eduardo Freitas is due to step in for the first time at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Wittich wasted no time making his presence felt. Drivers were given new guidance on what is and is not considered a legitimate overtaking move – an area which had been regularly disputed during 2021, where clarity is obviously vital.
The rules on track limits were also tightened up. Where Masi allowed case-by-case exceptions to track limits rules at certain corners, at the first race of the season Wittich made it clear those days were over: “In accordance with the provisions of Article 33.3, the white lines define the track edges,” his first set of notes to drivers stated.
Following their first meeting with Wittich, drivers were appreciative of his approach, the revised guidance on track limits and – in Daniel Ricciardo’s case – his “nice hair”.
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“I thought it was a good meeting,” Ricciardo added, more seriously. “It was just honest, straight to the point. Like the…