Formula 1 drivers hit back at FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem amid ongoing abuse

Formula 1 drivers have asked the FIA ​​to treat them like adults amid the sport’s curses and urged president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to reflect on his own ‘language’.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have both been punished in recent weeks, with the Dutchman asked to ‘carry out work in the public interest’ after describing his car as ‘f*****’ during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Ben Sulayem said in an interview with Autosport before the race that the stars of the grid had a responsibility to stop swearing on the radio and that they should not behave like rappers.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who urged Verstappen to ignore the sanction, said he believed the comments carried a “racial element” as the row escalated.

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, of which Mercedes driver George Russell is director, has since considered their response and criticized Ben Sulayem’s tone.

“There is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or even an inanimate object such as an F1 car, or a driving situation,” said an open letter from the GDPA. read on behalf of the Grand Prix drivers.

‘We urge the FIA ​​President to be mindful of his own tone and language when speaking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise.

‘Our members are professional drivers who race in Formula 1, the pinnacle of international motorsport. They are the gladiators and every race weekend they put on a great show for the fans.

‘Moreover, our members are adults. They don’t need to be instructed by the media on trivial matters such as wearing jewelry or underpants.’

Hamilton had a lengthy duel with Ben Sulayem over whether to wear jewelry in his Mercedes cockpit.

Hamilton was forced to remove his nose stud ahead of the 2022 British Grand Prix, before being granted a medical exemption from the FIA ​​to wear the piercings following ‘concerns about disfigurement’ the following season.

The GDPA letter also addresses concerns about where the money from the fines is distributed, and asks the sport’s governing body for transparency.

“The GPDA has expressed its view on numerous occasions that monetary penalties for drivers are not appropriate for our sport,” the letter continued.

‘For the past three years we have been calling on the FIA ​​President to share the details and strategy on how the FIA’s financial penalties are allocated and where the money is spent.

“We have also expressed our concerns about the negative image that financial fines bring to the sport.

“We once again ask the FIA ​​president for financial transparency and a direct, open dialogue with us.”

The PA news agency has contacted the FIA ​​for comment.