Coulthard and Jordan criticize FIA President Ben Sulayem, accusing him of dismissive leadership and failing to respect F1 drivers.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks between the drivers and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
F1 drivers have demanded greater transparency from the Federation, particularly regarding the use of fines collected by the FIA. In a unanimous stance, the GPDA criticized the FIA’s “disciplinarian-in-chief” for his positions on swearing, jewelry, and fireproof underwear. They also urged Mohammed Ben Sulayem “to consider his tone and language when addressing our driver members or speaking about them, whether in a public forum or elsewhere.”
However, Ben Sulayem’s response was blunt and unequivocal:
“This is not their business. Sorry,” he declared.
“With all due respect, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. They should focus on what they do best, which is racing.”
Former driver David Coulthard, the ex-McLaren F1 racer, naturally sided with the GPDA and the 20 F1 drivers.
“The FIA President received a letter from the drivers before Las Vegas asking for more transparency on how the FIA uses fines imposed on drivers. In many cases, it’s the drivers themselves who directly pay these fines,” Coulthard explained on the Formula For Success podcast.
“They also urged him to adopt a more respectful approach to issues like swearing and wearing jewelry and asked to be treated like adults.”
“And apparently, in an interview, he said: ‘With all due respect, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. They should focus on what they do best, which is racing.’”
“Well, that’s precisely the kind of condescending response that deeply irritates people today.”
“I don’t claim to be a driver. I’m a former driver. And as far as I know, the president is also a former driver. So, those best placed to understand what it’s like to be a driver, particularly an F1 driver, are the F1 drivers themselves!”
“That’s what concerns me—being dismissed in such a way, as if your opinion doesn’t matter. We revere these guys. We celebrate these guys. The Drivers’ Championship is what attracts all the publicity.”
“And then, on the other hand, senior figures say, ‘Yeah, just stick to driving the car!’ I never experienced that with Frank Williams, Ron Dennis, Mr. Mateschitz, or 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, ‘What were you thinking? What were you doing?’”
Former team boss Eddie Jordan, never one to hold back, shares Coulthard’s views and questions the approach and attitude of the FIA president, especially with his reelection in 2025 on the horizon. What’s wrong with Mohammed Ben Sulayem?
“When you have a group of celebrated individuals, who are absolutely at the pinnacle of their sport, and they’re forbidden from speaking out and dismissed wholesale, the one who suffers here is Mohammed.”
“He’s running for election soon, and I would have thought he’d aim to rally the drivers to his cause. At the very least, he should open a dialogue with them or say, ‘Alright, bring me three of your representatives, those who sit on the council or are key figures, whether it’s Lewis, Alonso, or someone else. Bring them to me, and we’ll have a meeting.’”
“But no, no, no, no. It’s pushed aside.”
Jordan then offers a somewhat subtle geopolitical analysis:
“There are wars everywhere in the world, and if we had more dialogue between the key players in these conflicts, perhaps we wouldn’t have the wars we do. The issue is that people set rigid and inflexible values in their minds and refuse to change.”
“And that’s the problem here. There’s a standoff between the drivers and the FIA, and it needs to end.”
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FIA President Faces Criticism: F1 Drivers Demand Respect FIA President Faces Criticism: F1 Drivers Demand Respect
