Formula 1’s drivers have called on the governing FIA and its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to treat them like adults amid the ongoing controversy around Max Verstappen’s community service order for foul language.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) urged Ben Sulayem to “consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise.”
F1’s drivers have united behind Verstappen after he was punished for swearing during an FIA press conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fined €10,000 for swearing during the press conference which followed the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The GPDA’s letter wrote: “Our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery and underpants.”
The latter is a reference to the controversy which swirled around the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, when race director Niels Wittich made it clear the wearing of jewellery would not be permitted in the cockpit. Hamilton famously then turned up to the press conference wearing three watches, multiple bracelets, necklaces and rings to make a statement. The FIA had also made clarifications around ‘compliant underwear’ being worn in the cockpit.
The GPDA letter also questioned the use of monetary fines and asked for transparency about where the money from such punishment actually goes. GPDA president George Russell recently suggested a good use of the money would be to fund the salary of permanent race stewards, which he suggested would help quieten criticism over inconsistency over penalties.
The letter also took direct aim at president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his preference for making statements about the drivers and the state of the sport via the media, as he did with an exclusive interview with Autosport in September.
The latter in full read: “As is the case with every sport, competitors must abide by the referee’s decision, whether they like it or not, indeed whether they agree with it or not. That is how sport works. The Drivers (our members) are no different, and fully understand that.
“Our members are professional drivers, racing in Formula 1, the pinnacle of international motorsport. They are gladiators and every racing weekend they put on a great show for the fans.
“With regards to swearing, there is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as a Formula 1 car, or a driving situation.
“We urge the FIA President to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise. Further, our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery and underpants.
“The GPDA has, on countless occasions, expressed its view that driver monetary fines are not appropriate for our sport. For the past three years, we have called upon the FIA President to share the details and strategy regarding how the FIA’s financial fines are allocated and where the funds are spent. We have also relayed our concerns about the negative image financial fines bring to the sport.
“We once again request that the FIA President provides financial transparency and direct, open dialogue with us. All stakeholders (FIA, F1, the Teams and the GPDA) should jointly determine how and where the money is spent for the benefit of our sport.
“The GPDA wishes to collaborate in a constructive way with all the stakeholders, including the FIA President, in order to promote our great sport for the benefit of everyone who works in it, pays for it, watches it, and indeed loves it. We are playing our part.
“Best regards, The Directors and Chairman of the GPDA on behalf of the Grand Prix Drivers #RacingUnited for our Safety, our Sport, our Fans”