FIA to call emergency WMSC meeting to tackle key F1 issues

F1's issues are expected to be addressed in an emergency FIA World Motorsport Council (WMSC) meeting. The FIA confirmed a meeting will be held on February 3 to focus on the various concerns in the sport.

Normally, such meetings have been settled through electronic votes (e-votes) in recent years. A report from RacingNews365, however, claims this is an extraordinary circumstance that could have a significant impact on the sport.

The FIA normally has four meetings in a calendar year where they discuss the problems and pitfalls in different disciplines of motorsport.

According to the aforementioned report, this meeting will officially see new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem come in to replace Jean Todt. The motorsport body will also make a decision regarding the future of sprint weekends in F1. In addition to that, the amount of time set aside for free practice sessions will also be discussed.

Race director Michael Masi's future after the controversial end to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is also up in the air.

Meanwhile, the FIA released a statement that confirmed they are yet to provide the results of the internal investigation that is currently underway.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's fate in F1 is also reportedly intertwined with the results. The Briton could walk away from the sport if he isn't satisfied with the FIA's findings, as per multiple reports.

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Mohammed Ben Sulayem 'confident' of Lewis Hamilton's F1 return

As the entire world waits with bated breath for the FIA to reveal the results of their investigation, new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is confident Lewis Hamilton will return to F1.

Ben Sulayem has reportedly been in personal contact with the Briton via text message. He revealed this information during an interview at the Dakar rally, saying:

“I am confident, very confident, that there will be, it [Lewis Hamilton] is a fundamental part of our sport. I just sent him [Lewis Hamilton] a message, I don’t think he’s 100% ready to talk about what happened yet, I understand his position. It is not a question of punishing a rider or a team, but of enforcing the rules, but I don’t want to make a decision without having studied the facts in-depth.”

Hamilton has maintained radio silence ever since he lost out on a possible eighth drivers' world championship in the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.