For the last couple of weeks, the FIA has come under a lot of criticism for their method of governing the sport off-track. In a recent interview, FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem was asked if the FIA has gotten any credit for their recent governing in F1. To this, Sulayem had a simple response.
Before the Singapore Grand Prix, Ben Sulayem had spoken out about how he was unhappy with drivers using expletive language while driving on the track. That Thursday, during the press conference for the Singapore GP, Max Verstappen was punished for using a swear word while talking about his car in the previous race. This punishment sparked a huge controversy in the sport.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem says FIA never gets credit
A few races back during the Austrian GP, the FIA came up with a solution to limit drivers from exceeding track limits. Motorsport.com asked the FIA President if the governing body had received any credits for the solution. To this, he replied:
“No, we will never get the credit. Impossible. We’ll only get rubbish. That I know.”
“When you look at it, everybody made money out of the FIA, everyone except the FIA. Everyone gets the credit, except the FIA.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says it’s “impossible” for the federation to get the credit that he thinks it deserves for making improvements in the way the sport is run.
When asked if he felt that the FIA has received enough credit for solving this particular problem, Ben… pic.twitter.com/qkNAFCbYwx
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 30, 2024
In a way, it’s true. Whenever the FIA fixes a problem, there is no credit given. But when the FIA takes a decision that is not liked by everyone, it becomes a huge deal. But isn’t that the FIA’s role in this sport?
What is the role of the FIA in this sport? FIA is simply a governing body that officiates the sport. Formula 1 is the brand and face while the FIA is like a referee at a football game. They are there to make sure the sport is played fairly and with proper governance. Referees do not care if the crowd likes them or not. Neither should the FIA.
What penalty did the FIA give Max Verstappen for expletive language?
As mentioned above, the FIA did give a penalty to Max Verstappen for using expletive language. The FIA decided to punish the Dutch Driver by obligating him to “some work of public interest”. Or in other words – Community Service.
Right now it is unclear what Max Verstappen is required to do. But there has been a lot of discussion about this punishment. Verstappen took it to the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association who are set to discuss the issue with the FIA in private and come to a conclusion.
🚨 | Formula 1 drivers are set to hold discussions about how best to respond to the FIA’s hardline response to Max Verstappen swearing in a press conference
Asked if there was support for him, Verstappen said: “Yeah, for sure. Of course, I wrote in the GPDA [chat] the ruling,… pic.twitter.com/Up2d4XYjAp
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 23, 2024
All of the drivers felt that the punishment Verstappen got was absurd. Lewis Hamilton himself said that Verstappen should not serve his community Service punishment. Yes, Max did use a swear word. But this is definitely not the first time and it’s not going to be the last.
Drivers and team principals are often seen swearing during press conferences. But so far neither of them has received a penalty such as the one Verstappen got. So its going to be interesting to see if other drivers and team principals receive similar penalties going forward.
