Lando Norris has explained why he reckons the overall governance of F1 is "very good", as the McLaren man shed some light on how conversations between the FIA and the drivers have progressed in recent weeks. The FIA are currently engaged in a deep-rooted analysis and investigation of their own governance structure and how races are adjudicated, as part of the fall-out after the controversial end to the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi. As the FIA have engaged in conversations with the drivers about how to improve things from their perspective, Norris said the transparency has been welcomed by his counterparts up and down the grid. "There's always been some conversation ongoing; there will continue to be," Norris said at the launch of McLaren's MCL36, when speaking to media that included RacingNews365.com . "I think that's something we all want as drivers. There's always these conversations between F1, the FIA and us to understand what's going on, understand what they've changing, and what they're doing to make things better. "You've got to have some confidence; we can't say we have no hope in anyone, so I think we have confidence that things are going in the right direction. "They're realising areas they can improve or address mistakes so, from our side, I have confidence and I think all of us as drivers do." Referring to the current stewarding system, Norris said the rotation of officials is beneficial for the sport. "Any of the stewards we have, I think it's good we still have different stewards for different weekends," he said. "You don't want bias creeping in with anyone. I think 95 per cent or 99 per cent of things are very good. "We just want that consistency. You see us make mistakes, as drivers, and it's easy for people to notice that. It's the same with them. It's human to make mistakes."
Norris backs the beleaguered Masi
Norris believes that Michael Masi has been "great" in his role as the FIA's Race Director, but is hopeful that the current review and investigation into the governance and adjudication of races results in more consistency. Masi remains under-fire after his handling of the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi impacted on the final result of the Drivers' Championship, with the FIA launching an investigation into the events of the race – the report of that investigation is due for publishing on 18 March. While there's been plenty of criticism levelled at Masi, there have been an increasing number of voices weighing in in support of the Race Director. Norris has become the latest driver to signal his support, re-iterating how the drivers just want consistency. "It's a tough one to answer, but I think the obvious thing that we all want is just consistency," Norris said. "When something is inconsistent, like that weekend, that's when people get annoyed and frustrated. "We make decisions, and the team make decisions, based on that consistency and the rules and so on. So when something's shifted or changed, of course it will annoy a lot of people or certain people. "I support Michael and a lot of other things he did were great last season and the last few seasons we've been working with him. I think a lot of things are good, it's just about ironing out these small things which can have a big impact, which isn't something we want. "F1 needs to be kept at a very high philosophy and success; things are ongoing and changing so we'll see soon. That's [consistency] the main thing we want."
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