Rob Huff calls for the reinstatement of driving standards advisers

Honda driver Rob Huff has called for the reintroduction of a driving standards adviser for the World Touring Car Championship, following a controversial incident in the main race on Sunday at the Hungaroring.

The 2012 champion received a drive-through penalty for an incident with Citroën’s Yvan Muller driver on lap 10 of the race, which both drivers disputed the blame for. Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Mehdi Bennani also received a drive-through penalty for contact with Honda driver Tiago Monteiro on the opening lap, while there was also more contact during the first few corners, but these received no action by the officials, to Huff’s chagrin.

“More severe incidents were ignored and the Race of Hungary demonstrates a need for consistent stewarding,” said Huff.

“A lot of stewards have never sat in a racing car and it was some five years ago that the WTCC drivers placed ex-professional racer, John Cleland, in the panel to ensure fairness.

“Driver stewards are now a thing of the past in the WTCC, but it’s something we should have as an FIA World Championship, because it’s crazy when you have countless outraged fans failing to understand penalties and calling to question the competence of the decision-makers.”

Huff’s comments refer to the introduction of a driving standards adviser in 2012, following similar criticism levelled late in the 2011 season.

Two-time British Touring Car champion John Cleland fulfilled the role for the most part during 2012-2013 alongside a number of other touring car veterans, but the role has become irregularly filled since 2014.

Unlike in Formula 1, the role was not as a fourth steward, but a stewards’ adviser, with the three-person panel still responsible for the application of the FIA’s sporting regulations.