Are you happy with how F1 is being run by the FIA president?
Once every month at F1 Fanatic we look at how the president of the sport’s governing body, Jean Todt, is managing the championship.
Join in by casting your vote below.
FIA developments since the last approval rating
Sidepod mirrors banned
The FIA outlawed sidepod-mounted wing mirrors, originally giving teams until the Chinese Grand Prix to get rid of them, then extended the deadline to the Spanish round.
More recently is was announced that F-Ducts will be banned in 2011, but the decision to do this was taken jointly by the teams.
Read more: Sidepod mirrors banned from next race
Briatore and Symonds settlement
The FIA had declared its intention to protest the Tribune de Grande Instance’s January verdict striking out the FIA’s bands on Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds over the 2008 Singapore controversy.
Last month the FIA announced it had reached a deal with the pair which will see them prohibited from working in F1 until 2013.
Read more: Briatore and Symonds accept three-year F1 ban in Singapore crash settlement
Women in motor racing
Todt has begun putting one of his election promises into practice by setting up a commission with the target of increasing the participation of women in motor sport.
Read more: FIA wants more women in motor racing
2011 tyre supplier
A decision remains to be taken on who will supply tyres to the F1 teams in 2011.
However it seems the sticking point at present is the teams’ inability to choose a preferred supplier. Michelin and Pirelli are said to be the favourites. Will the FIA step in and make the decision for them?
2011 teams
Applications remain open for a 13th team to enter F1 in 2011. Among the teams believed to be planning applications are Epsilon Euskadi and ART – the latter run by Todt’s son Nicolas.
Two former applicants have confirmed they will not be making a bid this time:
Splitting qualifying in Monaco
There was pressure from some teams and drivers to change the format of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix to ensure the front-running cars would not be impeded by the slowest runner.
The FIA’s Charlie Whiting said he would consider a proposed alternative arrangement for qualifying if the teams could agree on one. They did not, qualifying went ahead as usual, but there were no significant problems for any of the teams in Q1.
Read more: Should Monaco qualifying be split? (Poll)
Stewarding and rules clarification
The role of stewards in F1 races has come under fresh scrutiny following the decisions on Lewis Hamilton weaving to keep Vitaly Petrov behind in Sepang, Hamilton’s clash with Sebastian Vettel in the pits at Shanghai, and Michael Schumacher’s post-race penalty at Monaco.
The FIA reacted to the latter yesterday by conceding its rules were unclear and promising to change them.
Read more: FIA admits "lack of clarity" and vows to change rules after Monaco controversy
Jean Todt’s Approval Rating
As an F1 fan, do you approve or disapprove of the way Jean Todt is handling his job as President?
- No opinion (14%)
- Disapprove (8%)
- Approve (78%)
Total Voters: 1,103
Jean Todt’s Approval Rating so far
| Date | Approve | Disapprove | No opinion |
| April 2010 | 63% | 14% | 23% |
| March 2010 | 53% | 24% | 23% |
| February 2010 | 57% | 14% | 29% |
| January 2010 | 55% | 16% | 29% |
Jean Todt’s Approval Rating
GeeMac
21st May 2010, 13:09
No Opinion from me this time round (after two approvals. I like the ban of outboard mirrors, and the decision not to split Monaco quali. But somehow he hasn’t done enough to get my approval or disapproval, he is just doing his job, which is a good thing I guess.
sumedh
21st May 2010, 13:31
I have changed from approval to no opinion this time.
The plus points were not splitting the qualifying.
But the Schumacher penalty and continued delay of fixing the tyre supplier count against FIA.
Sideshow bob
21st May 2010, 17:24
He’s light-years ahead of Mosley. For that I give him approval.
Hallard
21st May 2010, 17:55
That is my reason for approval as well. Shockingly different from Mosley. I certainly didnt think it would be like this.
leon
21st May 2010, 22:45
I believe Todt is doing very well. His touch is sure, he keeps a low profile
( except when it comes to making the right dcisions about being photographed with the pantheon of great F1 Champions). Otherwise, Todt is politically astute and hasn’t put a foot wrong. Yet.
And of course everyone forgets now that at this stage in his career as FIA president, and for long years afterwards, Mosley could do no wrong. After the very bad years under Balestre, Mosley was seen as a superb new broom who, in partnership with Ecclestone, was sweeping all the corruption and double dealing away and gradually creating the F1 we know today.
Who was it said that, eventually, all political careers end in failure ?
It would be good to think that Todt will change all that and carry respect and success into retirement, wouldn’t it ?
Arun Srini
21st May 2010, 13:32
Atleast one of my hunches, that Todt would do more good for F1 than his predecessor, is coming along well.
Jim N
21st May 2010, 13:55
That tends to be the case, at least at the beginning. Max was better than Jean-Marie Balestre, and in turn he was better than Paul Metternich, I can’t remember back further than that. The issue is if he will be as good in 5 or 10 years time when megalomania will have had time to develop.
Javaguy
22nd May 2010, 14:43
Hasn’t he announced he’ll only be staying for one term? Plenty of time for him to change his mind though, granted.
TJ
21st May 2010, 14:06
It has become clear since Mosley was out and Todt in that the less is heard in public from the FIA President on individual motorsport series, the better.
For example, if Mosely was still in power we would no doubt have heard of half a dozen interivews with him discussing, arguing, justifying the stewards decision at Monaco (and else where). From previous experience, this just adds fuel to the fire. In some quarters, fans are disappointed by the stewarding though I think in all it has been good, fair and not detrimental to racing.
Surprisingly Formula 1 comissioner job is still up for grabs. At this point in time, where there is some discussion about changes to the sporting regulations following LastLapSafetyCar-gate, the FIA does need a figurehead who will stand up to media scrutiny. This person should not be the FIA President, and I hope not Max Mosely either!
hartry
23rd May 2010, 10:36
lastlapsafetycargate :D
Mike
21st May 2010, 14:07
I went approve, although not everything has been perfect, the recent maturity about the rules has impressed me, Somehow I can’t imagine Mosley doing the same…
Ned Flanders
21st May 2010, 14:29
Hmm his approval seems to have gone up quite a lot this month. I thought it might have gone down after Rule 40.13-gate, although I suppose that was more a legacy of the ambiguous rules of the Mosley regime
HounslowBusGarage
21st May 2010, 15:26
I think it went up *because* of Rule 40.13 Gate. Or rather, it went up because of the absence of vitriol, retribution and threats of being cast into outer darkness that we were used to from his predecessor.
All of a sudden, the FIA looked more reasonable.
Pink Peril
23rd May 2010, 11:32
I agree. The promise to sort out the confusion probably raised his esteem in some people’s eyes – including mine.
Wow, who woulda thunk it? This is the 4th approval in a row from me for Todt :p
Bigbadderboom
21st May 2010, 17:05
I think the dealing of the Schuey Rule 40.13 was swift and fair, and the FIA agree to review its lack of clarity. You can only approve of such action. The FIA seem to be working for motorsport now as oppossed to motorsport delivering for the FIA under the previous regime. Jean Todt “APPROVED”
Bartholomew
21st May 2010, 14:52
My main objection to Todt is that he does not create enough trouble to keep us entertained between races
rampante
21st May 2010, 14:54
He has done no wrong and has tried to correct errors in the rules and system. This is what an FIA president should be doing.
George
21st May 2010, 15:11
He has kept my approval, the tire situation has me worried though.
Vincent
21st May 2010, 15:31
He’s doing quite well, however not using the option the FIA has to reverse the Monaco penalty even after admitting the rules weren’t clear is beyond me, so I voted no opinion.
JoeE
21st May 2010, 15:44
Cant fault him atm, hes doing abtter job the Mad Max and keeping low key while doing whats needed to keep F1 and other motorsport alive.
Untitled258
21st May 2010, 15:58
Approve.
FIA Presidents should be seen and not heard.
Todt is good at that.
James
21st May 2010, 16:05
Very disappointed in this vote as a result of how Monaco was handled. Schumacher should not have recieved such a harsh punihsment. He should have recieved a penalty which in seconds which would have demoted him to 7th – not that I believe one should have been imposed in the first place.
Rob
21st May 2010, 16:39
I think it is unfair to hold this against him – the option is not currently in the rules to tailor a punishment ‘to fit the crime’ and I would much rather have someone who follows the rules as they are written instead of trying to show how powerful he is by changing rules everytime something happens that he doesn’t like.
I can’t believe Jean was satisfied with the punishment given to Schumacher, but intervening would have done more harm than good, and called his impartiality in to question to boot.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
21st May 2010, 16:47
Exactly.
Vincent
21st May 2010, 18:09
The option is currently in the rules to make the punishment fit the crime. Try reading the International Sporting Code. Articles 152 and 153.
Spud
21st May 2010, 17:09
He was punished under the only rules that were there at the time.
They can’t just make up rules every time a rare occurence like Monaco, Spa etc., happens.
It sucks that it has to happen but rules are rules. The are to be clarified so nothing more can be said.
I approve of the FIA for sticking to they’re guns on this one.
wasiF1
21st May 2010, 16:27
So far so good but there should have been more work on Schumacher’s pass on Alonson in Monaco they should have just swap places as the rule book itself weren’t clear.
Rob
21st May 2010, 16:45
I voted approve because he has kept to his role, handled things sensibly and proved that so far he is impartial. I am slightly concerned that he has not made many moves in the area of reforming aerodynamics regulations, which is my single biggest concern about the racing at the moment.
taurus
21st May 2010, 17:01
I think the fact Todt has been largely anonymous, as opposed to creating allsorts of hell and headlines, is a very good thing.
PJA
21st May 2010, 17:17
He hasn’t really done anything to disapprove of, any problems are either minor niggles or things left over since the previous regime such as the Briatore and Symonds settlement.
Patrickl
21st May 2010, 17:27
I’d say he’s still doing pretty well.
Impressive how even the Monaco race control/stewarding blunder was taken care of without much disgrace. Albeit that Schumacher paid the price for saving the FIA’s face.
I’m a bit miffed that they Charlie suggested that they would consider altering qualifying (when he should have just told the teams to knock it off with the whining and get on with their job), but that’s hardly to blame on Todt.
BasCB
22nd May 2010, 9:43
I suppose he did not want to be the bad guy. Instead the clever move of being OK with it, but only for a proposal agreed upon by all teams/competitors.
Charlie knew just as well as most onlookers, that such an agreement on this matter would have been something very special indeed!
Patrickl
23rd May 2010, 9:01
Lol, true.
Still, I would prefer honesty above playing mind games.
Spud
21st May 2010, 17:39
“Women in motor racing
Todt has begun putting one of his election promises into practice by setting up a commission with the target of increasing the participation of women in motor sport.”
Not to be sexist in any way at all here, I am in no way against women being in F1 or any types of motor racing for that matter but I do think they need to be there on merit, not because they bring in sponsors.
If a driver is good, let them race. Being male or female is irrelevant in the same way as being
20-ish (Alguersuari) and being 40-ish (Schumacher) is irrelevant.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
21st May 2010, 17:46
The initiative isn’t just for drivers, it’s all areas of motor racing – technical jobs, marshaling, the lot.
Spud
21st May 2010, 18:01
Sorry Keith, misunderstood the article slightly. I sometimes go off on a tangent with my replies aswell, but anyway….
But still, If a person can marshall, or if they can design flawless aerodynamics or whatever then it’s irrelevent if they are a man or a woman, that’s really the point I was getting at.
Sri
25th May 2010, 11:58
Well, there was this femme who worked at Ferrari in a senior technical role :P I can’t for the life of me remember the name now :( She was supposed to be one of the luminaries in the field of her work…
Pieter Hildebrand
21st May 2010, 17:39
Jean’s doing great, leave him to do his job and don’t interfere and you all will see how much better it will get – not that he let himself be influenced! Opposite side of the coin from Mosley anyway!
vettelfan
21st May 2010, 18:34
Approve.
He hasn’t done anything that I have strongly disagreed with, and most of the things he’s done (accepting that the FIA need to clarify the safety car rules, banning sidepod mirrors etc.) have been a good thing.
Icthyes
21st May 2010, 19:40
Continuing to approve, and I would have gone to a higher rating if possible. He’s done very well with all the issues since the last vote.
And changing your vote because of Monaco? First it was Hill’s fault, now it’s Todt’s!
RAY777
21st May 2010, 20:02
He is doing a better job than I expected,considering he was backed and recommended by Mosley. The only fear I have that he will bring Mosley back to fill the “Ambassador” role, which I seem to remember Todt is trying to fill.
Lee Sharp
21st May 2010, 21:56
Approval
And hopefully all those who thought it would be more of the same have by now been proven more than wrong.
Lord Stig
22nd May 2010, 2:20
80% Approval Rating! I would say that is about the higher than any politician’s approval rating in the US. The highest is Hilary Clinton (Secretary of State) at ~70%.
Dave
22nd May 2010, 9:07
I’m no fan of Totd but so far this season I have been pleasently surprised, at least so far…
Racer
22nd May 2010, 15:12
He’s doing a great job. Think of Mad Max… he was always in the news with some negative examples, which were totally not profitable for F1.
tombo
22nd May 2010, 15:19
this is the first one where i’ve had an opinion. i approve!
GeorgeK
23rd May 2010, 17:52
He has far exceeded my expectations to date.
Can’t agree with everything he’s doing (who can?) but his process so far has been impeccable.
Hairpin
24th May 2010, 16:46
He’s done nothing of any importance or substance so far equally he’s not put his foot in anything yet!
I’ll reserve my judgment for when the new rules for 2011 are announced so for now it’s no opinion.
The announcement of the new engine(s) for 2013 will also be interesting, and the view of the fans on that and JT will be compelling.
Dennis
24th May 2010, 23:22
I’ve changed from “no opinion” to “approve”. He made some good decisions (Monaco, role of the stewards, sidepod mirrors) so far.
J.A. Summers
26th May 2010, 19:18
Has anyone noticed Jean Todt looks a little bit like George W. Bush in this picture?