McLaren lays down the gauntlet for the FIA by making a major commitment for professional stewarding

McLaren boss Zak Brown has laid down the gauntlet for the FIA as he backs the move of F1 teams paying for professional stewards. In what has been a system utilized for a long time, the stewarding panel has consisted of former drivers who have volunteered for the role.

As such, there's no professional panel that is put in place, and these volunteers aren't paid much, hence affecting what is one of the more important aspects of the sport, adjudicating key decisions during the race. A case for professional stewards has been made in the past as well by both drivers and the team, with inconsistent decision-making being one of the major complaints.

Replying to a demand for professional stewards, the FIA president said that F1 can have professional stewards, but for that, F1 and the teams would have to bear the costs. In response to the remark made by the president, McLaren team boss Zak Brown claimed that his team is willing to make this commitment if all other teams are willing to contribute as well. As quoted by Motorsport, he said:

"To have part-time, unpaid stewards in a multi-billion-dollar sport where everything is on the line to make the right call... I don’t think we are set up for success by not having full-time stewards. The individuals are fine but the rulebook is too restrictive. I’d like us to take a step back, loosen it up. Have full-time stewards who can make more of a subjective decision of whether that was right or wrong."

He added:

“As far as paying for the stewards, this will probably be unpopular amongst my fellow teams. I'm happy if McLaren and all the racing teams contribute. It's so important for the sport. It can't be that expensive if everybody contributes. It's not going to break the bank. What I don’t know is what’s the relationship contractually between the FIA and Formula 1 as far as what's the level of expectations on stewarding. But at the end of the day, the agreement says part-time stewarding is not paid."

McLaren doesn't think the amount would be significant

Diving deeper into the subject, Zak Brown explained that one of the bigger things that need to be kept in mind here is that the cost of something like this is not going to be huge.

If a portion of the fees is handled by the F1 and the other teams then ultimately the amount that has to be given by each entity would not be that big. Brown said:

"In any business, if you want something different, it's called a change order and if you want to change something, you have to pay for it. So, if we have to pay for it, in the big scheme of things I do not think it will be a significant amount. If it comes back to McLaren where you pay a percentage and what F1 will pay and what the FIA will pay, if you break up that fee, it is not that much but I think it is that important.”

McLaren's commitment to bringing in professional stewards is certainly an impressive step, but it remains to be seen if the other teams are willing to dole out the money. Even though the sport is in great condition right now, teams are still just marginally making the cost cap, for them, it might not be as straightforward.