08/05/2025 08:20
George Russell believes relations between F1 drivers and the FIA
are in "unprecedented times" as tensions between the two camps
continue to linger. The persistent strain on the relationship has
been particularly evident since towards the end of last season,
when the president of the motorsport governing body, Mohammed Ben
Sulayem, expressed his displeasure with swearing in F1 to the
press. In addition to Max Verstappen being punished for saying the
F-word in an official FIA press conference at the Singapore Grand
Prix just hours later, many F1 drivers were unhappy with Ben
Sulayem using the media as a mouthpiece. This led to the Grand Prix
Drivers' Association (GPDA) penning an open letter in the weeks
that followed, voicing its dissatisfaction with how the FIA was
regulating the championship. Shared on social media, it addressed
some of the F1 drivers' concerns with Ben Sulayem directly.
Russell, who is a director of the GPDA, is one of a number of
drivers who have been outspoken about the issues between F1 and the
FIA. Although the hostilities dissipated over the winter, the
introduction of the contentious Appendix B to the International
Sporting Code (ISC), commonly known as the stewards' penalty
guidelines, earlier this year reignited the animosity. It gave
officials the power to fine - and even ban or dock championship
points from - drivers who use foul language or criticise the
governing body, amongst other things, which unsurprisingly
increased friction again. When it was put to the Mercedes driver
that the GPDA does not appear to have a formal relationship, with
structured meetings and open channels of communication, with the
FIA, the 27-year-old underlined the potential need for change in
how the two bodies interact. "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," Russell told media including RacingNews365 . "I
think when the GPDA was founded years ago, it wasn't really to talk
about politics – it was to talk about safety, improvements of the
sport, improvements of 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 things 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 yeah, maybe something should change. We're open to
it, but we just ultimately want the best for the sport."
