Why is so much in F1 decided after the race?

Why is F1 unique in world sport where so much is decided in courts and enquiries. Do you think this makes the sport look stupid in the eyes of the public. Bad decisions happen in all sports but none, that I know of, have so much decided after the event.|||As I've just posted in another answer, in horseracing, a Stewards enquiry is called immediately after the end of a race where there's been a questionable incident. The places are not announced until the outcome of the Enquiry is known, at which time bet winnings are paid out.





This is getting to the point (if not beyond!) of farce. I don't remember it getting so bad as it has during the past few seasons. So what's going on..... too much money involved??!





Add - and before everybody screams cheating - remember all these races are taking place an a phenominally high speed, which requires split second decisions (okay in this case it took place, allegedly, under the SC). Not much room for pre-planned cheating there I'd say - unlike taking steriods before a track race!|||Because the FIA care about the result going to the RIGHT people, not those who think they can cheat, bend rules or cover up evidence in order to win.





I think the FIA are quite brave in this repsect as other sporting bodies around the world usually couldn't care less.|||It does frustrate me a bit, seeing as I have to keep checking the internet or the news to see what came of what I already saw... I think they should try and make a race result final and unchangeable after say 18:00 on the monday after a race. That way there's none of this um and ah-ing, teams and drivers can have their say into contentious results, and the casual fans as well as hardcore nuts like me can rest easy knowing who came where.





IMO Lewis drove a fantastic race and deserved to at least keep his fourth place which he earned on the road. Same for Trulli in 3rd... He drove brilliantly and all this palaver has come out of a misunderstanding which was resolved on track with no-one being ripped-off or conned in the process.|||F1 is a joke now. Just a reality show with even a manufactured world champion. Moto GP is far Superior.|||I agree|||I think its basically so Bernie Ecclestone can run the final rule, he seems to have the sport on strings. The latest incident is different, if its proved Hamilton lied then it will be a fair call but in my opinion the sport would be a hell of a lot better without the control of one man and his dog Max Mosely!!|||Unique? Really?





What about athletics? Do the results stand after a winner is found to to have taken banned steroids? That is cheating and when it is done there, it doesn't look stupid, right?





Same here. Just that there are a lot more ways to cheat and to disregard the integrity of the sport. This is a corrective measure and this is common in all sports when caught to be cheating.





-- Bad decisions happen in all sports but none, that I know of, have so much decided after the event.-- Ben Johnson, David Millar, Adrian Annus, if you want, I can give a lot more. Because you don't know it doesn't make your statement right!|||There are a number of very valid reasons for this. Firstly, it's so "high tech" that teams are constantly "stretching" their interpretation of the rules. The consequence of what some might call "cheating", is that the stewards at each race, might have to deal with appeals from other teams, as to either the question of another teams equipment, or the behavior of their driver. There is also the question of an appeal to the FIA, (which is currently looking into the diffusers on the rear of several cars, including the winning Brawn GP cars) and might not be heard for some weeks.|||Can you ask all the cars to hold position and distance while the stewards make a decision? Unfortunately no. While I would like them to decide quickly, I rather they make a correct decision.





By the way, athletics, cycling even football (West Ham and Carlos Tevez) are going to the arbiters or the courts.





BTW, Dan, my problem with McLaren is they chose to mislead (nicer word than lie) during the inquiry. They almost cost Trulli his position and all 6 points. Their punishment is fair. If they had not chosen to hide anything, I would agree that they should keep 4th.





I am glad that Trulli got back the position he deserved. From pit lane to 3rd! wow!|||Many technical and other rules require time to weight the evidience and try to get it right.





In this latest McLaren/Lewis Hamilton episode, the FIA's correct decision was delayed because Hamilton and his team manager David Ryan lied to the officials in their post-race de-brief.|||Because some incidents need reviewed before a decision is made, to stop people like Hamilton cheating|||actually the hunt for justice is what causes as u say 'so much after the event'



in other sports...there's an umpire/refree...whose wrong descision too is to be accepted..|||There is as much controversy over the controversy as there is in the controversy.





It's fairly simple to get the decisions a bit more dynamic - after all F1 is a dynamic sport.





Complaints must be put to the stewards within 1 lap of the incident. The stewards have 3 laps to make a decision - no appeals. And if a complaint is deemed to be spurious the car in question gets a drive thru penalty. If there is not time for a stewards decision before the chequered flag then that is tough luck.





That would make the last 3 laps of every race very interesting.|||sorry to raise a counter example but look at the many athletes DQed after failing a drug test after winning - in some cases having world records cancelled many YEARS after the race.