Former F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone not only attended the Austrian Grand Prix, he presented the 'President's Medal' to race winner Lando Norris, but why?
"I think it's really nice that the President gives a personal congratulations to the winning competitor," said Ecclestone, who once proposed that the world championship standings should be based on a medals basis, with the race winner receiving a gold medal, second place a silver medal and third a bronze, the tally at season end deciding who exactly won the title. Not one of his better ideas.
"As he could not attend the race here in Austria, he asked me to present his medal for him which I am pleased and honoured to do," said the 94-year-old of Mohammed ben Sulayem.
"It was great to be there, as though it might seem strange, this was the first time in almost 70 years in this sport that I've actually been on the podium! So, that was also nice."
Aside from being the sport's supremo, Ecclestone previously owned the Brabham F1 team, which, courtesy of Nelson Piquet's two titles, was a regular on the podium back in the day, but team representatives getting in on the act was not the done thing then.
The president's medal, which is "crafted from 100 per cent recycled materials" and "honours success while representing innovation and reflecting the FIA's commitment to sustainability", are given to selected winners in a number of FIA-sanctioned events and was "envisioned" by Ben Sulayem as a "lasting symbol of their achievement".
Quite why the FIA president was unable to attend the Grand Prix isn't known, though it will surely have nothing to do with the fact that earlier in the month the Austrian Automobile Association (OAMTC) had warned of a worrying future for the sport's governing body under its current leadership, particularly in relation to the intention to reform the statutes.
"Damage to the FIA's credibility as an organisation has already occurred through repeated governance mis-steps and failings," it said in a letter to the FIA World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT) members.
"These are not anomalies," it insisted, "they are features of a system of governance that is malfunctioning, due to the absence of normal internal debate and discussion.
"The FIA's standing in comparison to other international organisations is threatened by the self-inflicted wound of governance failure," it added.
"Changes to bolster the sitting regime are cast as necessary for the greater good, and objectors are cast as the enemies of progress. In every such example, the outcome is a diminished and less capable system of governance.
"For the FIA the risks are immense," warned. "Already the world's public commentators routinely note the FIA's weak decision-making, repeated unforced errors and apparent lack of rigour and process."
As it happened all the proposed amendments were subsequently voted through by a majority of FIA Member Clubs at the General Assemblies.
The warning from the OAMTC came just two weeks after 36 member clubs threw their weight behind Ben Sulayem, among the signatories was the FIA Vice President for Sport - South America... or Mrs Ecclestone as she's known at home.
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