The rag has burned in recent weeks between the drivers and the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
F1 drivers demanded greater transparency from the Federation, particularly on the use of fine money by the FIA. The GPDA, in a unanimous position, also attacked the positions of Father Fouettard, head of the FIA, on swearing, jewelry and fire-resistant underwear. They especially prayed to Mohammed Ben Sulayem “to consider your own tone and language when addressing or speaking about our member pilots, whether in a public forum or elsewhere. »
However, Ben Sulayem's response was direct and unequivocal:
“It’s none of their business. Sorry, “ he then said.
“With all due respect, I am a pilot. I respect the pilots. Let them focus on what they do best, which is running. »
Former driver, David Coulthard, formerly of McLaren F1, obviously took up the cause of the GPDA and the 20 F1 drivers.
“The FIA president received a letter from drivers before Las Vegas demanding more transparency on how the FIA uses driver fines. In many cases, it is the drivers themselves who pay these fines directly,” Coulthard explained on the Formula For Success podcast.
“They also urged him to take a more respectful approach on topics like swearing and wearing jewelry, and asked to be treated like adults. »
“And apparently in an interview he said, 'With all due respect, I'm a pilot. I respect the pilots. Let them focus on what they do best, which is running.' »
“Well, that's exactly the kind of condescending response that deeply annoys people today. »
“I don’t claim to be a pilot. I am an ex-pilot. And as far as I know, the president is also an ex-pilot. So, those best placed to know what it's like to be a driver, particularly an F1 driver, are F1 drivers! »
“That’s what worries me. Being brushed aside like this, as if your opinion doesn't matter. We revere these guys. We celebrate these guys. The Drivers' Championship is what gets all the publicity. »
“And then, on the other hand, senior people say, 'Yeah, come on, just drive the car!' I never experienced this with Frank Williams, Ron Dennis or Mr. Mateschitz, and Christian [Horner] as Red Bull team principal. Not once did they treat me like a child, even when I clearly made a mistake, like when I tore all four wheels off the race car. »
“Not once did they say to me, ‘What were you thinking? What were you doing?' »
Former team boss Eddie Jordan, who never holds his tongue in his pocket, shares Coulthard's opinion and questions the approach and attitude of the FIA president, especially in the run-up to of his re-election in 2025. What is wrong with this Mohammed Ben Sulayem?
“When you have a group of celebrated people, who are absolutely at the top of their sport, and they're not allowed to express themselves and they're rejected outright, the person who suffers here is Mohammed. »
“He's running for office soon, and I would have thought he would rally the pilots to his cause. At least he should open a dialogue with them, or discuss and say, 'Okay, give me three of your representatives, the ones who sit on the board, or who are the main players, whether it's Lewis, Alonso, or another, bring them to me and we will have a meeting.' »
“But no, no, no, no. We put that aside. »
Jordan then engages in a more or less subtle geopolitical analysis…
“You have wars all over the world, and if we had more dialogue between the protagonists in these wars, we might not have the wars that we have. The problem is that people set rigid, inflexible values in their heads and don't want to change. »
“And that’s the problem here. There is a standoff between the drivers and the FIA, and it must end. »
