McLaren boss Zak Brown has expressed frustration that multiple scandals have clouded the start of the Formula One season.
A day earlier, the ethics committee of F1’s governing body, the FIA, cleared its president Mohammed bin Sulayem of “any wrongdoing” over interference allegations.
Ben Sulayem has twice been accused by whistleblowers of trying to improperly influence the F1 process.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton lashed out at Bensulayem on Thursday, saying he had never supported the FIA president.
Brawn believes the secrecy surrounding the FIA needs to stop.
“We live in 2024, not 1984, and that means full transparency,” he said Friday.
“I think we need to make sure things are done in a transparent, truly independent way. I think everyone should welcome transparency.”
This is not the only situation the FIA is dealing with. Matters escalated further this week when Susie Wolff, the head of the all-female racing series’ F1 Academy, launched a criminal complaint against the FIA.
Ahead of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Brawn answered a series of questions about the various scandals engulfing F1.
“Everyone wants these different themes [be resolved to] To enable us to get back into motorsport, but I think people are going to continue to ask questions until all the unanswered questions are answered,” Brown said.
“I think the situation is not very good now, we are three games into the calendar but we are still discussing these issues.
“It is important that the FIA, as our governing body, resolves this issue quickly and transparently and reaches the correct conclusions, whatever those conclusions may be.”
Brown also praised Oscar Piastri’s progress 12 months after the hometown hero made his Australian Grand Prix debut.
The Melbourne-born driver hopes to become the first Australian driver to reach the podium since F1 began racing at Albert Park.
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Piastri’s team-mate Lando Norris set the fastest time in the first practice session of the weekend on Friday, beating three-time world champion Max Verstappen as McLaren competes with Red Bull and Ferrari Competition from strong teams is a positive sign.
Piastri briefly took the lead early on but finished 10th ahead of fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who was racing in Melbourne for the first time since 2022.
Brown has been impressed by the speed with which Piastri has adapted to life in Formula 1.
“He’s already a mature young man, but you can definitely see a year later that he has a higher confidence because he knows what to expect and I think wearing a helmet will only lead to better performances,” he said explain.
Alex Albon lost ten minutes during the first hour of practice when he lost control of Williams and hit the wall.
The Thai driver escaped the crash uninjured, but a tire flew off the car and the gearbox appeared to be severely damaged.
Verstappen finished second again in the second practice session, ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz made a smooth return to racing after being forced to miss the Saudi Arabian race two weeks ago due to appendicitis surgery.
