Guenther Steiner calls for full-time F1 stewards and greater AI use after Silverstone finish

Steiner targets Formula 1’s race-control system

Guenther Steiner has called on the FIA to introduce permanent, full-time stewards and make greater use of artificial intelligence after the anticlimactic finish to the British Grand Prix.

Although a message indicating that the safety car would return to the pits appeared on television broadcasts, the race ultimately finished under safety car conditions. The FIA later confirmed that the message had been displayed in error and said there were not enough laps remaining to complete the unlapping process.

Permanent expertise, not blame

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner stressed that his criticism was not aimed at the stewards. Instead, he placed the focus on the race director and the lack of a permanent group able to develop solutions for complex race-ending scenarios.

“So we need to start a campaign soon. You know what I’m always saying: full-time stewards that work on a plan,” Steiner said. He argued that permanent stewards could help identify alternatives that would avoid a repeat of the Silverstone situation.

Steiner suggested that racing could potentially resume if lapped cars had completed enough of their unlapping process to ensure they would not interfere with the leaders. He acknowledged, however, that the race director had followed the rulebook as written.

AI as a planning tool

Steiner also questioned whether the broadcast message was genuinely the result of a software problem, suggesting instead that the decision-making process may have changed after the restart was considered. He nevertheless praised the FIA’s technical organisation and said Nikolas Tombazis was working to address issues when they emerged.

His broader solution is to use software and AI to assess the vast number of possible race finishes before they occur. “Set the regulations beforehand, not during the race,” he said. In Steiner’s view, the FIA should establish solutions for specific scenarios in advance and run through an enormous range of permutations—work he believes a human being cannot complete alone.