AUSTRALIA: Michael Masi, a former FIA Race Director, has been given a new job for the motorsports season in 2023.
Michael Masi has focused on securing roles on the Australian motorsport scene since returning to his home country after leaving the FIA earlier this year.
Michael Masi bags new position for motorsports 2023
Masi was fired as FIA Race Director for 2022 because FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem made significant changes for this season. Masi was the driving force behind the contentious Abu Dhabi GP decision, which handed the 2021 F1 championship to Max Verstappen.
Masi returned to Australia in July after leaving the FIA. There, he took a new job as chairman of the Supercars Commission, which is in charge of the sporting and technical rules for the illustrious series. He also joined the South Australia Motorsport Board.
Along with commercial lawyer Melissa Holzberger, Masi will join Karting Australia’s board of directors in 2023. He will be one of two new directors. On January 1, 2023, Masi will join the board as a director.
Karting Australia welcomed Masi and highlighted his experience as a motorsport administrator, which dates back to his time as a sporting manager for the same organization.
Michael Masi then became Deputy Race Director in Supercars and studied under Charlie Whiting before becoming F1 Race Director for the FIA.
Masi’s position became untenable after the controversial end of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi, in which a late Safety Car intervention altered both the race’s outcome and the title fight.
Michael Masi deployed the Safety Car after Nicholas Latifi of Williams crashed, giving second-place Max Verstappen a chance to go into the pits and try new tires.
Verstappen resumed his position in the safety car queue behind title rival Lewis Hamilton. However, he still had a challenging climb ahead as the laps of opportunity ticked away, and five lapped cars remained between him and Hamilton.
However, seemingly in violation of the terms of the Sporting Regulations, Masi would move these lapped cars—and only these lapped cars—out of the way and restart the race with one lap remaining.
Verstappen snatched Hamilton’s lead on the final lap and won the championship. Mercedes protested the decision immediately, and the FIA began extensive investigations into how Masi and Race Control followed the decision-making process.
It was clear that Masi’s position as the authority overseeing Grands Prix had become untenable, and President Ben Sulayem sacked Michael Masi, replacing the disgraced Aussie with Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas on a rotational basis for the 2022 F1 season.
Michael Masi escaped any claims of wrongdoing because of a vaguely worded regulation that handed complete control over the Safety Car procedure to the Race Director.
CONGO: At least 100 people have died due to devastating floods in the Congo, which caused sinkholes to engulf neighborhoods and landslide-hit roads.
Devastating floods hits Congo
On Tuesday, heavy rains destroyed Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, injuring dozens more.
🔴Pluie diluvienne à Kinshasa ! La route Matadi (nationale Nº1) reliant Kinshasa et le kongo central coupée en deux au niveau de l'école Mapinduzi. Des parcelles englouties, des véhicules emportés et une importante perte en vies humaines. Il y’a urgence 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0u31Q2HixN
According to Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, authorities are still looking for additional bodies.
Lukonde stated on Tuesday on state television that his team was assessing the damage. According to the Prime Minister and the primary damage control department.
Three locals told media officials that people were killed, houses were submerged, and roads were destroyed in the 24 affected Kinshasa neighbourhoods, which are home to approximately 12 million people.
According to Alid’or Tshibanda, the mayor of the Ngaliema area, more than three dozen people perished, and the bodies are still being counted. Five members of one family were killed in another part of town, some by electrocution.
Pierrot Mantuela stated, “It is a just calamity.” The 30-year-old man lost his mother, three brothers, and a daughter of nine years. He said it hurt to lose his entire family. He claimed the disaster spared his life because he was at work on Monday night when the rains started.
Pictures shared online showed entire neighborhoods filled with murky water and streets torn apart by sinkholes.
In the Mont-Ngafula district, a large hole that swallowed several vehicles appeared to have divided a significant highway. Raincoat-clad spectators crept to the edge to view the abyss.
Kinshasa, one of Africa’s most significant megacities with a population of approximately 15 million, was once a fishing village on the Congo River.
An inadequately regulated rate of urbanization has made Kinshasa progressively helpless against streak floods. After extreme downpours in the city, floods have become more regular because of environmental change.
In 2019, torrential rain flooded low-lying districts in Kinshasa, causing some buildings and roads to collapse and resulting in the deaths of at least 39 people.
According to a 2020 World Bank paper, in addition to causing damage to infrastructure, flooding in Kinshasa costs households $1.2 million per day due to the widespread disruption of transportation.
UNITED KINGDOM: McLaren on Tuesday announced that Andreas Seidl had resigned from the team and that Andrea Stella would take his place as the team’s principal.
Andreas Seidl joins Sauber after leaving McLaren
There were rumblings that the “team boss silly season” was far from over, as the team boss announcements focussed everyone’s attention on Ferrari after the confirmation that Fred Vasseur would succeed Mattia Binotto as their team boss in 2023.
Andreas Seidl, who joined McLaren four years ago, was also the centre of attention over who Sauber would announce as the replacement for Ferrari-bound Vasseur.
This was confirmed on Tuesday morning when McLaren announced Andrea Stella as their new boss and announced Seidl’s departure.
After that, Alfa Romeo announced that Seidl was appointed CEO of the Sauber F1 team. However, the announcement didn’t confirm his role as the team principal after the Hinwil-based team released Vasseur to Ferrari.
Mattia Binotto did the same thing in late November when Ferrari announced that he had resigned, just as Sebastian Vettel did in late July when he sparked interest in driver positions.
According to insiders in F1, Fred Vasseur would be taking Binotto’s seat almost immediately. Ferrari confirmed the rumours on Tuesday morning.
McLaren announced Seidl’s departure shortly after confirming Vasseur’s move to Ferrari. The German had led McLaren for four years.
The Woking group subsequently announced Andrea Stella, who joined McLaren in 2015 and was elevated to Executive Director of Racing in 2019, as the new team principal.
McLaren F1’s CEO, Zak Brown, expressed his delight over Andrea Stella’s promotion to Team Principal and was upbeat that Stella would lead McLaren’s F1 technical and operational program.
He added that Andrea has a strong track record of leadership and success in F1. Brown praised his new team boss, saying he is highly talented, experienced, and well-liked.
Brown felt excited to work more closely with Stella, saying the team focuses on moving up the grid and winning races in the upcoming F1 seasons.
This year, Sauber, competing under the name of Alfa Romeo, finished sixth in the constructors’ standings, its best performance in a decade. Additionally, the team has partnered with Audi to operate as a works F1 team when it joins the grid in 2026.
Later in the day, the Williams F1 team announced the departure of Jost Capito as the team principal. Capito had led Williams for two seasons after replacing Simon Roberts in 2020.
QATAR: Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez scored for Argentina to reach the World Cup final, where they defeated Croatia 3-0 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. On Sunday, they will take on the winner of Morocco or France.
After Alvarez was awarded a controversial penalty for colliding with Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, Messi scored from the penalty spot with a shot into the top corner (34) against the flow of play.
The 35-year-old scored that goal, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta to become Argentina’s top World Cup finals goal scorer with 11 goals.
After Alvarez took the ball from his half and doubled their lead (39), Croatia collapsed and gave up another goal five minutes later from an Argentina counterattack due to comical defending.
To ensure that the game was out of reach, Messi took matters into his own hands and beat Josko Gvardiol before passing the ball to Alvarez for Argentina’s third goal.
Argentina last appeared in the World Cup final in Brazil in 2014, where Germany defeated them. Since Diego Maradona led his team to victory in Mexico in 1986, Argentina has not won the trophy.
Messi shined at the Lusail Iconic Stadium while waiting for his teammates to come to life while Croatia dominated the first half.
After the half-hour mark, Alvarez won a penalty kick, turning the game upside down. Livakovic brought Alvarez down after the Argentine pushed the ball past the goalkeeper, and Croatia was caught out at the back by a straightforward ball over the top from Argentina.
As he had done against the Netherlands earlier in the round, Messi stepped up to the spot and struck a powerful shot into the top corner to give Argentina the lead.
Alvarez broke through two challenges in the area after taking the ball from his half before putting a composed finish past Livakovic after Croatia appeared to lose their heads after looking strong in the first half.
Croatia brought in Bruno Petkovic to change the outcome, who scored an extra-time equaliser in stoppage time in Brazil’s quarterfinal penalty shootout victory last week. However, Messi had other plans.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward turned the 20-year-old inside out and cut it back to Alvarez from the byline against Gvardiol down the right flank to give himself one last chance to win the only trophy that has eluded him.
ITLAY: The 54-year-old Fred Vasseur, who led Sauber for five years, has signed with Ferrari. The Frenchman left Sauber earlier today on an eventful day for F1.
Fred Vasseur is set to become F1 team principal
Mattia Binotto, who resigned from his position in charge of Ferrari’s F1 operations at the end of last month, will be replaced by Fred Vasseur.
Starting on January 9, he will officially be the general manager and team principal for the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team.
Fred Vasseur expressed his delight to assume the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal, calling it an honour. He added that Ferrari has always represented the very top of the racing world for someone as passionate about motorsports as himself.
He said he was looking forward to working with the Italian team based in Maranello. He promised to honour the rich racing history and heritage of Scuderia Ferrari and to deliver for the Ferrari fans, fondly called “Tifosi.”
Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari, expressed his happiness and welcomed Fred Vasseur to Ferrari as the Team Principal.
Vigna, talking about Fred Vasseur, said thathe has consistently been able to extract the best in his drivers and teams while successfully combining his technical strengths as a trained engineer throughout his career. Vigna felt that Vasseur’s strategy and leadership skills were crucial to driving Ferrari forward with transformed vigour.
Reports previously arose out of Italy ahead of the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi that Mattia Binotto would leave the group and that Vasseur would succeed the Swiss.
Vasseur’s appointment as team principal is part of Ferrari’s push to end an F1 title dry spell tracing back to 2007. The Italian team failed to challenge Red Bull for both titles despite being quicker than Red Bull at the initial stages of the 2022 season.
Ferrari will benefit from Vasseur’s lengthy career in motorsport, during which he co-founded the ART Grand Prix junior team, which supported Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Nico Rosberg as they progressed through the ranks in Formula racing.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc made his F1 debut at Sauber in 2018 under Vasseur’s direction, and he said last week in Bologna that he liked Vasseur’s management style.
Vasseur contributed to the turnaround of Sauber. During his time there, the team raced under the Alfa Romeo name since 2019. The team had struggled financially for years.
This year, the team finished sixth in the constructors’ standings, its best performance in a decade. Additionally, the team agreed to become Audi’s works F1 operation when it joins the grid in 2026.
ABU DHABI: Guenther Steiner, the team principal of the Haas F1 team, believes that Nico Hulkenberg will not require a re-acclimatization period in 2023.
After securing a comeback with Haas as a replacement for Mick Schumacher, Hulkenberg will compete full-time in F1 in the 2023 season.
Since the end of 2019, Hulkenberg has not had a full-time drive in F1. However, he has driven in five Grands Prix in the three seasons since, starting with Racing Point in 2020 as a replacement for the ill Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll and two season-opening races at Aston Martin in 2022 as a replacement for Sebastian Vettel.
Despite his absence in the racing arena for three years, the team principal for his new team, Guenther Steiner, is ambitious about his recruit.
Guenther Steiner accepts the veteran driver will dig up some authentic confidence in a matter of moments as he comes up to speed with life as a full-time driver on the F1 grid.
Hulkenberg jumped into Mick Schumacher’s vacant car for the one-day Pirelli tyre testing, where he completed the day admitting to feeling some “human degradation” due to the physical demands of F1.
The Pirelli tyre test allowed him to make his Haas debut at the post-season test.
After securing his F1 return with the American-based team, it was a surprise that Hulkenberg would be the ideal candidate for Haas.
Guenther Steiner explained that Hulkenberg’s skills as an experienced racer ultimately prevailed over Schumacher.
Hulkenberg, who returns to F1 at age 35, has not yet finished on the podium; he holds the undesirable record for the most races in which he has not finished on the podium.
While addressing the media at the Abu Dhabi GP, Guenther Steiner flayed any concerns regarding Hulkenberg’s fitness and was upbeat about his team’s chances in the upcoming season.
QATAR: Three days before the FIFA Presidency elections, the sons of Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Jassim and Mohamed bin Hammam, met with Sepp Blatter at FIFA. Speculation arose that the prince, on behalf of the Emir, told Hammam to withdraw his candidature from the elections.
As per the alleged deal, Blatter would win the election unopposed, and in return, he would stop mentioning Qatar’s World Cup bids.
Sepp Blatter went on to win the election, and Hammam and FIFA’s Vice-President, Jack Warner, were suspended by FIFA’s Ethics Committee soon after.
Warner predicted that more damaging revelations were yet to come for FIFA. The public hailed Chuck Blazer as a passionate lover of football who blew the whistle on the corrupt members inside FIFA, which was, in fact, far from reality. Blazer had incurred considerable profits by participating in the corruption inside FIFA.
A month after his suspension, Jack Warner resigned from FIFA. Soon after he quit, secret information regarding Chuck Blazer’s corrupt activities began leaking to media sources.
Despite no proof of significant income supporting his lavish financial growth, evidence of various benefits and expensive possessions owned by Blazer began to arise.
The FBI steps in
The multiple corruption charges inside FIFA caught the attention of the FBI long before the infamous voting scandal of 2010. However, they had little information regarding the situation.
However, once the FBI got evidence of corruption by Chuck Blazer, a US citizen, the investigation into FIFA’s corruption made significant inroads. The FBI looked into Blazer’s background and found him guilty of several charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, and non-compliance in reporting foreign bank accounts.
The FBI approached Blazer with an offer to be an informant for the FBI. In exchange, he would have to serve a shortened jail term instead of a significant one. The FBI told Blazer to aid them in exposing the corrupt individuals in the hierarchy inside FIFA.
The FBI silently kept collecting evidence of corruption against FIFA officials. They focused on Jack Warner due to his history of close friendship with Chuck Blazer. His two sons, Daryan and Daryll Warner, laundered the money for him.
FBI arrested Daryan and Daryll since they couldn’t detain Jack Warner as he enjoyed Trinidad & Tobago’s diplomatic immunity. The FBI offered Jack an opportunity to free his sons in exchange for details of corruption at the topmost levels of FIFA. He turned down the offer.
FIFA’s attempts to salvage reputation
FIFA employed Alexandra Wrage to establish an internal governance program to attempt to repair the damage to its reputation as football’s organizing body worldwide.
In 2011, after the executive committee members re-elected Sepp Blatter as President for the fourth time, the FIFA congress decided to implement several features, including transparency in finances, an improved organisational ethics board, and a better-governing panel.
In a later interview, Alexandra Wrage witnessed the hierarchical structure within FIFA and labelled FIFA’s move as a cynical PR stunt.
Jeffrey Webb, from the Cayman Islands Football Association, ran for the CONCACAF Presidency after FIFA ousted Jack Warner. He emphasised working through the scandal involving CONCACAF in his electoral campaign. However, after winning the election, he turned out to be no different than his predecessor.
In November 2014, FIFA released a summary of the report made by its ethics body over the corruption allegations regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The ethics committee, headed by former New York prosecutor Michael Garcia, held an internal investigation into the accusations.
Contrary to public expectations, the report gave a clean chit to the Qatar bid. However, Garcia later disowned the report, putting the spotlight on the credibility of FIFA’s new transparency policies.
In the meantime, Sepp Blatter’s greed for power and fame saw him try to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to grace a football match in Zurich between Israel and Palestine to promote peace in the war-torn region. Many assumed that Blatter had his sights set on winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Reports of human rights violations in Qatar
One of Qatar’s bidding committee’s claims during the bidding process was the opportunity to enhance workers’ job opportunities and living conditions.
Qatar’s promises, however, did not see the light of day. According to the Indian and Nepalese embassies, over 1,000 immigrant workers died in two years in Qatar.
FIFA shrugged off all responsibility over the deaths of workers participating in the preparation of Qatar in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup.
According to a few media sources, around 5,200 people lost their lives during the construction of infrastructure for the 22nd World Cup.
Hassan al-Thawadi said that building any significant event on the blood of innocents is unacceptable. He went on to deny the speculation that people were becoming fatalities in the World Cup project.
The FBI goes after FIFA
The FBI was making slow but steady progress in collecting evidence against FIFA. In their own words, the FBI was making a “watertight case” exposing the widespread corruption within FIFA.
The $10 million paid by South Africa to Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer under the pretext of funding the growth and support of minority African communities in the Caribbean was vital evidence of corruption against FIFA.
Chuck Blazer pleaded guilty to accepting the bribe from South Africa in exchange for his vote. Jack Warner, however, denied the charges.
The FBI indicted fourteen FIFA officials for corruption. They issued a warrant to the Swiss police to arrest the officials.
On May 27, 2015, Swiss police arrested several people, including Jeffrey Webb, in Munich on behalf of the FBI. The police led the FIFA executive committee members out of the Baur au Lac hotel, shrouded in bedsheets.
Sepp Blatter, who was not charged with corruption by the FBI, scrambled to organised a meeting with the remaining committee members to address the crisis that had struck the governing body.
Loretta Lynch, the US Attorney General, addressed the media at a press conference in the USA. She read out the charges against the arrested members.
The FBI, the US Department of Justice, and the IRS made the investigation public. The scale of corruption at FIFA shocked the general public.
The downfall of Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President for the fifth time, just two days after the arrests in Zurich.
On June 2, 2015, six days after the arrests, Blatter announced his resignation from FIFA’s Presidency. He said he decided to step down as head of FIFA because the football world did not support the electoral results.
On the 20th of June, Simon Brodkin, a comedian, heckled Sepp Blatter during a press conference. The incident garnered global attention.
Brodkin showered fake dollar bills over Blatter, saying, “This is for North Korea 2026.” Sepp Blatter was visibly furious over the security breach. Brodkin was taken away by Swiss police.
After Sepp Blatter stepped down, UEFA and the European football associations backed Michel Platini as the candidate for the FIFA Presidency. Platini was all set to succeed Blatter when details of a “disloyalty payment” between Platini and Blatter emerged.
According to reports, Swiss authorities found that Sepp Blatter paid Michel Platini an amount of 2 million Swiss francs through FIFA. Blatter allegedly paid to make Platini back down from participating in the 2011 FIFA Presidency elections.
FIFA’s ethics board suspended Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for 90 days. Blatter, however, pleaded innocence and claimed that he made the payment to cover Platini’s services in 2002, a payment made after nine years.
The FIFA Ethics Board subsequently banned Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter from FIFA and football-related activities for eight years.
The aftermath
The announcement of Gianni Infantino as the new candidate for the FIFA Presidency polls came after a few days. Jerome Valcke, who had moved up his ranks to the post of Secretary General, was suspended for his alleged involvement in corruption, which he has repeatedly denied.
In February 2016, nine months after the arrests, Gianni Infantino was elected as the new President of FIFA. While addressing FIFA for the first time as President, Gianni made it clear that FIFA’s finances would be closely monitored by the governing body. He condoned the misappropriation of money by football associations.
In 2021, after indicting more than 50 individuals, the US Department of Justice announced that FIFA was a “victim” of corruption. The FBI did not press any charges against Sepp Blatter or Michel Platini.
Chuck Blazer died in 2017 before the announcement of his sentence. Jack Warner, wanted by US law enforcement, enjoys diplomatic immunity in Trinidad & Tobago.
In July 2022, a Swiss court cleared Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini of corruption charges over the 2 million Swiss franc payment.
Qatar survived the allegations aimed at them and currently hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Human rights organisations worldwide believe that thousands of migrant workers lost their lives in the build-up to the World Cup due to Qatar’s preparation to host the marquee event.
The big sport needs to acknowledge its power and represent the force of good globally rather than being a commodity that nations led by dictators and marred with human rights issues can purchase with an obscene amount of money.
INDIA:Motorola has finally confirmed that the Moto X40 will be available for purchase on December 15 after numerous teasers and leaks. Motorola has reportedly confirmed the launch date in a post on a blog site.
The upcoming Moto X40 will be the company’s first smartphone with Qualcomm’s most recent Snapdragon 8 Gen-2 chipset.
Via several teaser posters, Motorola has revealed the phone’s Snapdragon 8 Gen-2 chipset, 4600mAh battery with 125W fast-charging support, and Android 13-based MyUI 5.0. The phone is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.
There will be two versions of the phone: one with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage and the other with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage.
The display has a rounded edge, as shown by the shared posters. There are three cameras on the back, one of which is a 50MP primary camera.
A punch hole in the center of the screen on the front houses the phone’s selfie camera. Along with a 50MP primary camera, the rear camera setup may include a 12-megapixel telephoto lens and an ultrawide angle lens with 50 megapixels.
According to previous rumors and leaks, the phone may have dimensions of 161.3 x 73.9 x 8.5 and a weight of around 196 grams. A curved Full HD+ resolution OLED display with 10 bits and 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rate support is anticipated for the smartphone.
On December 15th, the company is also expected to release the X40 Pro model alongside the X40.
The Moto Edge X30, announced last year, will be replaced by the Motorola X40. The smartphone has a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, 1080 x 2400 pixels, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The Moto Edge X30 has an Adreno 730 GPU and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. There are three available variants: 128GB with 8GB RAM, 256GB with 8GB RAM, and 256GB with 12GB RAM.
The camera specifications are also comparable to those of the forthcoming phone.
The Edge X30 has a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP depth camera on the rear. It has a single 60MP selfie camera on the front, and a 5000mAh battery powers the smartphone.
INDIA:BMW India has launched the facelifted BMW M340i sedan. The model retails for Rs 69.20 lakh (ex-showroom) and is the brand’s fastest vehicle produced locally in India. The facelift accompanies surface-level changes and element increments.
The 2023 BMW M340i sports a new kidney grille in black with a mesh pattern. New, sleek LED headlamps flank these kidney grilles with new L-shaped LED DRL designs.
The M Aerodynamics package adds carbon fibre components to the car, like a front splitter, mirror caps, and a rear spoiler is available for the vehicle. The rear end of the car features LED taillights and trapezoidal exhaust tips. The vehicle sports 19-inch jet-black M light alloys.
The BMW Curved Display, which has a 12.3-inch instrument panel and a 14.9-inch infotainment display, is also new in the 2023 BMW M340i’s cabin.
The premium sedan’s interior includes an M leather steering wheel, an anthracite headliner, carbon fibre inserts, and ambient lighting.
The car also has a sunroof, three-zone climate control, and a Harman Kardon audio system.
The 3.0-liter straight-six petroleum engine that produces 374bhp and 500Nm of force; powers the BMW M340i sedan.
For the BMW M340i sedan, the engine is paired with a 48V mild-hybrid system. An 8-speed automatic transmission transfers power to each wheel.
The BMW M340i 2023 can sprint from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 4.4 seconds, making it the fastest made-in-India BMW. Additionally, the car comes equipped with an M Sport exhaust, which gives the exhaust a lively sound.
The car has an upgraded M Sport rear differential, M Sport suspension, Sport steering, M Sport brakes, 50:50 weight distribution, and a Performance control system for a sportier ride.
The announcement of the 2023 BMW M340i mounts a direct challenge for the S5 Sportback from Audi, which is evaluated at Rs 86.25 lakh (ex-showroom).
ITALY: At the FIA Prize Giving Gala, Christian Horner received Red Bull’s 2022 F1 Constructors’ Trophy from FIA President Ben Sulayem, but not before having a fun but awkward conversation with the top gun.
Despite Ferrari’s strong start, Red Bull would ultimately take complete control of both F1 titles in 2022.
With four rounds remaining, Max Verstappen won a record 15 races and his second F1 Drivers’ Championship in Japan. Red Bull won 17 of the 22 races for their first F1 constructors’ championship since 2013.
However, despite its dominant performance, Red Bull’s campaign was not entirely smooth.
Their minor overspending in violation of the 2021 cost cap was the primary obstacle they had to overcome.
Red Bull received a $7 million fine after the FIA found the team had breached the cost cap. The team faced heavy backlash and criticism from rival teams.
At one point, Horner threatened legal action against the rival teams if they did not retract statements made in light of the salary cap controversy.
When FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Horner met on stage to hand over the constructors’ title trophy, the ensuing conversation awkwardly addressed the issues.
“This cup has nothing to do with the cost cap,” quipped Ben Sulayem while presenting the trophy to Horner at the event. He added that the FIA wouldn’t “deduct this” from Red Bull’s cost cap because it comes from the FIA.
Horner responded by thanking Ben Sulayem for his generosity. The following joke, which Horner made, only made the situation more awkward. He talked about “conflict” in the distribution of points at the Japanese Grand Prix in his speech.
According to the system implemented in response to the washout of the Belgian Grand Prix in 2021, the drivers would not receive full points after only 28 laps of the Japanese Grand Prix were completed by the drivers in a race affected by rain.
That would have implied that Japanese GP winner Verstappen didn’t score an adequate number of points to clinch the World Championship, yet the screens started showing illustrations proclaiming Verstappen as champion. Everyone, including Verstappen himself, was confused over the developments.
The FIA explained that the rule only applies in the case of an inability to finish a race, which surprised the team, the driver, and nearly everyone else. Verstappen got full points for the race win and became a two-time world drivers’ champion.
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