Mohammed ben Sulayem could well find himself arriving late for Sunday’s national anthem as George Russell is the latest to turn on the sport’s governing body.
On a day MotorsportUK boss, David Richards has upped the pressure on the FIA president and Robert Reid, the deputy president for sport, has resigned, George Russell, head of the drivers’ ‘union’, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has thrown a bit more fuel on the fire.
“Unfortunately, I think every time we hear some news from that side of the sport, it’s not really a big surprise,” the Mercedes driver told reporters in Bahrain, when Ben Sulayem is expected to make his first race appearance of the season. “So it’s clearly a real shame to see, and somebody who’s very well respected within the sport and been there for so long, as we keep saying, it’s like, what’s next?” he added, referring to Reid’s ‘departure’.
“It’s a shame to see, and hopefully we get more stability sooner rather than later.”
On a day Carlos Sainz risked punishment after swearing during the official FIA press conference, Russell had previously criticised the FIA, under Ben Sulayem’s leadership, for treating drivers like children.
This was in reaction to the rule that drivers must not swear during press conferences, a rule that Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc failed to adhere to and were consequently penalised.
However, there was already growing friction between the drivers and the FIA over such things as the ban of jewellery and the demand for them wearing of sanctioned underwear, possibly a sore subject in Sainz’ case.
Of course, other than his GPDA role, Russell is Mercedes lead driver and let’s not forget that Susi Wolff, wife of his boss, is involved in legal action following the (subsequently withdrawn) claim of insider dealing with F1 made in late 2023.
“Ultimately, it’s getting to a point now where these things are happening so often, and as drivers we were trying to get involved in the past, we didn’t really make much headway, and things seem to continuously be going in an unstable direction,” said Russell.
“So I’ve got to be honest, we’re getting to a point now where our actions are having little impact with those guys, and we’ve got to trust in the teams and Formula 1 to work with the FIA to come to a common ground. If we can help, we want to be there, but often it just seems like things are going in their own direction.”
Meanwhile, former FIA chief executive, Natalie Robyn has said the FIA has “serious ongoing structural challenges”.
Robyn, who up until today has not spoken of her decision, quit her role in early 2024 just 18 months into the job, the official line at the time being that she had left “by mutual agreement to pursue opportunities outside of the FIA”.
However, speaking to the BBC, she has shed a little more light on the situation.
“During my tenure as CEO, I worked under challenging circumstances to strengthen the federation’s governance framework and upgrade its operational transparency,” she said. “The resignation of the deputy president of sport clearly indicates there are serious ongoing structural challenges.
“When professional processes are not adhered to and stakeholders are excluded from decision-making, it undermines the foundation of a strong organisation,” she added. “I am saddened to see these developments, as they threaten both the credibility and the long-term effectiveness of an important institution.”
Reacting to Reid’s resignation and his strongly worded statement, she said: “I worked closely with Robert during my time at the FIA and I have a great deal of respect for him and of course his commitment to the future of motorsport.”
If this were a driver one would have to say that his position was untenable, and at least it should give the Sky team something other to bang on about all weekend other than the futures of Tsunoda, Doohan, Hamilton et al.
