Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director George Russell says FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem must back up his words with action after suggesting he may change the rules on drivers’ conduct.
The GPDA has criticised the FIA’s stance on “misconduct” under Ben Sulayem. The FIA president said on Monday he was considering “improvements” to rules introduced this year which set down the fines and further penalties drivers could face for swearing and other infractions.
Russell said drivers “obviously want to see these things put into action, rather than saying ‘we’re considering things.’”
“We all ‘consider’ a lot of things,” said Russell. “We’re clear we want changes and once they are implemented then we’ll comment. But for the time being, it’s being considered. So those words don’t mean anything until the change has been made.”
The GPDA published an open letter in November last year calling on the FIA to stop fining drivers who swore in press conferences. Russell said they have not had further discussions with the sport’s governing body since then.
“Collectively we’ve not spoken any further since the open letter that was sent out. So whether that is the response – I’m not too sure.
“As I said, it’ll be great if changes were made and the drivers were at least heard. I think it’s just in the best interest for the sport and ensuring that some common sense is applied to these situations. I think all of us, we can comment on it when we see the action being taken rather than just the consideration.”
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Russell became a GPDA director in 2021, when Ben Sulayem’s predecessor Jean Todt was in charge of the FIA. He feels the organisation’s focus has been taken away from more important matters by issues such as drivers’ conduct.
“I feel it’s like unprecedented times we’ve been in over the last 18 months with what’s been changed and what’s happening,” he said. “I think when the GPDA was founded years ago, it wasn’t really to talk about politics – it was to talk about safety, improvements to the sport, improvements to the racing. Especially myself – I find myself talking about topics that I didn’t really have any intention of talking about.
“But we find ourselves in a time where we’re not focused on the [reasons] why we’re all here. We’re here to go racing, we’re here to create the best show for the fans, to have the fastest cars, the safest cars, the best technology, the best engineering – and yet we talk about fines and punishments and swearing.
“So maybe something should change. We’re open to it, but we just ultimately want the best for the sport.”
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