SHANGHAI // Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, who have won the last three world titles between them, have backed the idea of recruiting former drivers to help with stewarding at Formula One races.
A raft of penalties handed out at the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend were the latest in a string of decisions which have led to calls for an overhaul of the officiating in the sport.
The Renault driver Alonso and Raikkonen of the Ferrari team, speaking at a news conference on Thursday before this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, said the most important improvement would be consistent punishments for the same infringements.
"I think it's a good idea to have an ex-driver to help them (the stewards) because sometimes the decisions they make, it's difficult to know from the outside if you have never driven a Formula One car," said the Spaniard Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 world champion.
"What would help for the drivers would be a consistency in the penalties ? if one time you do something and you get penalised, it is not possible that the next time you do the same thing you get no penalty.
"We ask for a little bit more consistency with the penalties even if they are very harsh or not."
The world champion Raikkonen said that whatever the stewarding system, you could never rid the sport of debate over whether overtaking moves justified punishment or not.
"There are always many different views of the same incidents so there is always going to be talk about penalties," the Finn said.
"It would make everybody happy if every time you got the same decision. Maybe if you had an old driver, they would have some respect so maybe people wouldn't complain so much."
Championship rivals Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and the Ferrari driver Felipe Massa were both handed drive-through penalties at Fuji last weekend.
Toro Rosso's French driver Sebastien Bourdais collected a post-race 25 second penalty that demoted him from sixth to 10th.
The idea of former drivers playing a role has been raised before and is likely to get short shrift from the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).
The FIA President Max Mosley described the idea last month as "pretty good rubbish".
"You'd be pushed to find a driver who hadn't got a really big connection with one or more teams," he said.
"But apart from that, I think they are the last people who would be suitable.
"What you need are calm, independent judges who look at all the facts and then take a decision. You don't need any specialist knowledge, you just need to know the rules."
*Reuters
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
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Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
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Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
