Paddock politics largely imitated on-track proceedings this year: the drama was turned right down. Formula 1 wasn’t still reeling from an intensely controversial title decider, no teams were found guilty of breaching the cost cap, dolphins could reclaim ownership of ‘porpoising’, and Oscar Piastri didn’t find himself at the centre of a custody battle. But F1 and the FIA certainly weren’t playing happy families. That marriage of convenience remained just as loveless.
For many, that it didn’t all boil over was a welcome change, given the exhausting vitriol that has hung around the series since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale. For others, it underlined why 2023 was very far from a season for the ages amid the Max Verstappen monopoly.
But perhaps the past 12 months have at least laid the foundations for some juicier disputes that have yet to fully unfold. Are AlphaTauri and Red Bull that bit too close for comfort? Why did the FIA investigate whether the same could be said of the Wolffs? And will championship top brass ultimately tell Michael Andretti and General Motors where to go to inspire a bitter legal battle?
President elects to step back
A more muted tone for the season was set in February when divisive FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, at least publicly, stepped away from the day-to-day running of F1. While seeking election, his manifesto outlined a plan to install a “revised governance framework”, so handing over control to FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis after 14 months in office wasn’t totally unforeseen.
But the timing of this couldn’t go unnoticed. His move out of the limelight arrived weeks after F1’s lawyers wrote a “cease and desist” letter over the president’s suggestion that the championship’s mooted $20billion valuation was “inflated”. This was deemed to be interference in commercial matters, which fall solely under the
