Abu Dhabi 2021 controversy cited by Ferrari in fresh plea for regulation ‘clarity’

Ferrari chairman John Elkann has cited the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as an example of why F1 needs a strict rule set moving forward.

Then race director Michael Masi’s loose interpretation of the rules saw just a portion of lapped cars unlap themselves in the final stages of the race, making Lewis Hamilton a sitting duck to Max Verstappen on fresh tyres.

It was one of the most controversial incidents in F1 history and is still just as radioactive today as it was back then which is why Elkann wants rules to be stuck to.

Ferrari chief wants ‘clarity’ with FIA application of the rules

Elkann has been chairman since July 2018 but has not often stepped in front of a microphone to discuss the team’s ongoing issues. Under his tenure, Ferrari have finished second on two occasions but a dramatic fall in 2020 remains the most memorable Ferrari moment of recent years.

In an interview with the BBC, it was put to him what changes he would most like to see and he took aim at the FIA.

“On one side, there are a lot of changes in how the evolution of technologies happen, the importance of being carbon-neutral,” he said. “Within that, being able to define clarity on rules and applications is important.

“You don’t want things to happen like the 2021 championship, how that ended up. You don’t want to have situations like the ones here in Vegas, where you get penalised 10 places [through no fault of your own].

“So from the regulatory standpoint in terms of rules and applications and what we have seen with the budget caps, those are areas where you’d like to have more clarity.”

“You don’t want things to happen like the 2021 championship, how that ended up. You don’t want to have situations like the ones here in Vegas, where you get penalised 10 places [through no fault of your own].

“So from the regulatory standpoint in terms of rules and applications and what we have seen with the budget caps, those are areas where you’d like to have more clarity.”

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Elkann’s team will have felt particularly hard done by in Vegas when Carlos Sainz’s car was destroyed by a water valve cap, pushing him over his engine allocation and giving him a grid penalty.

The 47-year-old instead chose to focus on the positives of how the team bounced back.

“I like what happened,” Elkann says. “You were fast. You had a manhole jump up. They worked very strongly, put the car back, did really well in the qualifying. That’s the attitude you want to have and that’s what is important to keep going and growing in 2024.

“The important aspect of looking at how you make progress is really that progress is not necessarily linear. The way you get out of difficult outcomes makes you ultimately stronger if you have that right attitude, and this weekend is exactly the example of it.”

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