"Work with impartiality and the utmost professionalism" - FIA responds strongly to Lewis Hamilton's claims on biased F1 stewarding

The FIA has come out with a statement in response to Lewis Hamilton's comments about biased stewarding in the sport. The governing body claims it has a strong group of well-established stewards from around the world who show no bias towards any driver.

The seven-time world champion had earlier called on the FIA and F1 to establish non-partial stewards after the 2021 championship finale debacle. The Mercedes driver believes some stewards are "too friendly" with some drivers on the grid. He said:

“Race drivers, some are very, very good friends with certain individuals, some travel with certain individuals and tend to take more of a keen liking to some of us. So I think [we need] people who have no bias, and are super-central when it comes to making decisions.”

The Briton's remarks were not well-received by the FIA, who felt compelled to respond with a strong statement. The governing body claimed it was proud of its stewarding standards, claiming it does not favor any driver in particular. An F1 spokesperson said:

“The FIA is proud of its global stewarding pathway that connects and develops the most talented stewards from across motorsport. This has resulted in a strong, independent and experienced group of officials who carry out their work with impartiality and the utmost professionalism.”

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Lewis Hamilton claims FIA needs more female stewards

Lewis Hamilton believes there should be more female stewards as part of the race control team. The Briton believes having female representation is essential for the sport's diversity.

The seven-time world champion has been a strong advocate for diversity within the sport, claiming a more inclusive F1 would be beneficial to all. He spoke about female representation, saying:

“I want to see more women in the stewards’ room. I don’t think we have many; I think, last year it was maybe one or two. And I think it would be awesome for them to have a male and female as the two race directors. I think that’s a great way of promoting diversity too.”

The FIA is yet to comment on Lewis Hamilton's opinion on female representation, but the governing body should be onboard considering the general calls for diversity within the larger sporting world.

Meanwhile, F1 has entered the pre-season testing phase, with all teams, except one, finally having revealed their 2022 cars. McLaren's Lando Norris went fastest overall at the end of the first day of testing, topping the charts with a fastest time of 1:19.568 in Barcelona.

On the same day, Lewis Hamilton went quicker than reigning world champion Max Verstappen by nearly a second and a half. While it is certainly too early to be certain of anyone's pace, fans of the Briton are hoping he stays above Verstappen in the upcoming season.