“They’re Playing It Up for the FIA”: James Hinchcliffe Exposes F1 Drivers’ Blatant Snitching Tactic

Like in any other sport, every driver in F1 always wants to win, even if it means pressuring the officials into penalizing their rivals. Using the example of how soccer players sometimes ‘dive’ to get penalties in matches, former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe pointed out that F1 racers often use their team radio to draw the stewards’ attention to mistakes made by their rivals, hoping they will be penalized.

Hinchcliffe interestingly pointed out that F1 drivers sometimes blame their rivals on the team radio even when they know they were the ones who made the mistake. When asked if drivers are aware they were at fault but still blame their rivals in the heat of a wheel-to-wheel battle, Hinchcliffe replied on the Red Flags Podcast, “Half the time, for sure.” 

Revealing that such scenarios are ‘outrageous’ in F1 due to their frequency, Hinchcliffe added, “It is a show, it is a total act. They’re playing it up for the FIA and just trying to get a penalty for the other.” Hinchcliffe thinks that F1 drivers deliberately use this tactic to deceive the FIA, noting how calm they are in their subsequent radio messages to the team.

The Canadian former driver believes that if F1 racers were genuinely that angry, their tempers wouldn’t subside so quickly in the messages they relay to the team immediately after. Even the most successful drivers use this tactic, hoping to gain an advantage over their rivals.

Hamilton once pressurized the stewards to penalize Norris and Perez

As a result of Mercedes’ struggles in recent seasons, Lewis Hamilton was often not in a happy mood during races. During the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, after receiving multiple track limit violations, the Briton went on a rant, calling out his rivals each time they went off the track.

“As soon as he (Lando Norris) got past me, he went off like at least ten times,” Hamilton said in an interview after the race. “And so did (Sergio) Perez. Perez would go off at Turn 9 and Turn 10“.

With Hamilton adding, “We should not be able to just go off and none of us get a penalty,” it was clear how he felt about the incidents and his desire for his rivals to be penalized. Similarly, Max Verstappen did something comparable last season when he reported over team radio that Lando Norris had not slowed down enough during a yellow flag.

Let’s take a closer look

This yellow flag infringement cost Lando Norris a stop/go penalty ⚠️#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/bI2UXZSWxy

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 1, 2024

Soon after the Dutchman reported this to the stewards, Norris received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, which ruined the Briton’s race and effectively ended his chances of fighting for his maiden championship last season.