Rosberg and Alonso lead calls for change in the sport; GPDA released hard-hitting letter last week criticising governance
Monday 4 April 2016 14:38, UK
Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso led a passionate plea to the Formula 1 decision-makers during Thursday's drivers' press conference - claiming they love the sport and just want to be more involved in the future.
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association penned a hard-hitting open letter to F1 stakeholders last week, calling for a restructuring of its own governance after a number of unpopular rule-changes.
An elimination-style qualifying was introduced, and has since been kept on for the Bahrain GP, while a clampdown on radio messages is also new for 2016.
Referencing the letter, which was signed by Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Alex Wurz on behalf of all drivers on the grid, Rosberg said: "We are all united on this because we love the sport. We want to question whether the F1 governance cannot review the process in which decisions are made.
"We know it's not perfect the way it is. It could be better and it could be reviewed - that's what we're trying to encourage.
"We're driving those cars. We have a really good opinion on what would be best to make the racing more exciting. It only makes sense for us to be more integrated in the process."
Alonso, suffering with fractured ribs following his high-speed crash at the season-opener in Australia, will miss this weekend's race after he was ruled unfit by the FIA.
But the Spaniard is still sticking around in Bahrain to watch McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne take his place, and claims drivers want to show that they can help the sport move forward.
"The letter says everything," he said. "We love the sport, we love it so much that maybe we think the last couple of years we have been moving left and right, with no clear direction.
"We want to help in any of the things the fans want, the drivers want, the sponsors want. It's just a supporting letter from all the drivers to show that we do care about our sport and we want to get involved in some of the decisions, that we can help somehow. "
Haas's driver Romain Grosjean added: "We want it to be the best it can be, the best drivers, the best cars, the best show. We just want to help the sport."
FIA race director Charlie Whiting insists drivers get plenty of chance to have their say, citing a meeting with Pirelli where only seven or eight attended and another sit-down at pre-season testing in Barcelona where there were still a few absentees.
Lewis Hamilton, who has been eager to express his displeasure with recent decisions, was one of those, but Williams' Felipe Massa agrees that drivers should try and make it to the meetings.
"I was in every meeting before," he said. "With the FIA, Pirelli, with everyone. I think we should try and give our opinion - it's part of being close to decisions in the future. I hope it will work and I believe it will."
One of Hamilton's biggest annoyances was the planned move to make cars five seconds per lap faster through aerodynamics in 2017, and his views were echoed by Mercedes team-mate Rosberg.
The German, who is hoping to make it two wins from two this season, said: "There's qualifying where fans are just at home not happy with it - we're racing for the fans.
"They're also putting on more downforce but we should be trying to help overtaking. We're trying to say we want to be more involved and to have more of a say, so let's see where this takes us."
Alonso meanwhile had an issue with another new rule. He added: "As Nico said about the qualifying, there's also the radio restrictions.
"You cannot give us a spaceship and then not tell us anything. These are making drivers a bit confused."
