Hamilton suggests F1 stewards' bias towards "friends" on grid

Lewis Hamilton has called on F1 to instate "non-biased stewards" after suggesting that "some" are a little too friendly with drivers.

The seven-time champion's accusation comes after a 2021 season full of perceived inconsistencies in the stewards' room with decisions on whether a driver had been forced off track or not just one example that seemed to differ from race-to-race.

This was highlighted in battles between Hamilton and eventual champion Max Verstappen throughout the year where the Dutchman often went unpunished, before being penalised in Saudi Arabia.

Hamilton was the beneficiary of a similar decision in Abu Dhabi after Verstappen was deemed to have run him out of road at the chicane, a factor that saw the Briton's corner-cutting ignored.

With two new race directors sharing the role over the course of the new year after Michael Masi's removal, Hamilton was asked at the first pre-season test in Barcelona if the change represented an opportunity to confirm the rules of racing as a unified grid

"We need to make sure we get non-biased stewards," replied Hamilton.

"Race drivers, some are very very good friends with certain individuals, some travel with certain individuals and tend to take more of a keen liking to some of us.

"So I think [we need] people who have no bias, and are super-central when it comes to making decisions."

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