Nico Rosberg thinks that F1's rules need to be "tightened up" next season after several controversies in 2021. The topic of regulations was much discussed following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with particular focus on Safety Car procedures following the impact this had on the outcome of the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. This was not the only contentious moment of the year either. In particular, there was plenty of debate over what constituted fair racing after Verstappen was not penalised for an incident with Hamilton at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Amidst all of this, 2016 World Champion Rosberg believes that the clarity of the rules is something that the FIA could work on. "The sport needs to make progress," Rosberg told Sky Sports . "It starts even with all the overtaking, the wheel-to-wheel action. The FIA needs to tighten all that up so that we don't have all these discussions. "It would be better for the sport if it was much easier to understand. Also in wheel-to-wheel racing; who is now right and wrong, what needs to be done. A quick decision is made, and we go on. "We need to get rid of all these discussions, that's important."
Fallout from Abu Dhabi
The dust might have settled after the drama of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but the fallout from what happened remains. Mercedes initially lodged two separate protests with the stewards following the race. Both were dismissed, and the team indicated an intention to appeal the protest regarding the race classification due to how the Safety Car withdrawal was handled, because there is a rule which states that the Safety Car should not have pitted on the same lap when cars unlap themselves, and not all cars were able to gain a lap back. Within a few days, it was confirmed that the Silver Arrows would not be going ahead with this appeal. However, the team said in a statement that they had engaged in a "constructive dialogue" with Formula 1 and the FIA to "create clarity for the future" regarding the rules, and that they welcomed the FIA's decision to investigate what happened in Abu Dhabi .
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