FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says he is considering “improvements” to the widely criticised rules on driver misconduct which were introduced earlier this year.
Competitors from Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship have spoken out against the rules, which stipulate five-figure fines for a variety of misdemeanours such as swearing. Ben Sulayem said he has consulted drivers across a range of disciplines.“Following constructive feedback from drivers across our seven FIA world championships, I am considering making improvements to Appendix B,” said Ben Sulayem in a statement on social media. “As a former rally driver, I understand the demands they face better than most.”
Rally driver Adrien Fourmaux was the first person to be penalised under the regulations earlier this year. In response, he and his fellow competitors formed an organisation styled on F1’s Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and refused to answer questions at last month’s Safari Rally in Kenya.
However the FIA stewards chose not to investigate Carlos Sainz Jnr over swearing in a press conference at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this month. They pointed out he apologised afterwards.
Ben Sulayem said he still believes the regulations are necessary but is prepared to modify them.
“Appendix B is a key part of the International Sporting Code and is central in helping keep the sport accessible for all our sporting family,” he said.
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“Humans make the rules and humans can improve the rules. This principle of continuous improvement is something I have always believed in and is at the heart of all we do at the FIA.”
“By listening to one another and working collaboratively, we continue to drive a positive future for the sport we all care so deeply about,” he added.
Ben Sulayem spoke to Max Verstappen immediately after the last F1 round in Jeddah, where the world champion was penalised for an incident during the race. Afterwards Verstappen cut short his post-race interview, then said in the official FIA press conference he could not express his opinions under the current rules.
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Yes (@come-on-kubica)
28th April 2025, 21:13
He should consider his misconduct and how it falls short of standards.
I luv chicken
28th April 2025, 21:24
Typical. Rush to install, some dumbass puritanical rules, start throwing fines, and threats around, and then realize months later how utterly childish, and inmature thse restrictions are. A five year old could come up with a better solution. So reminiscent of the Balestre days, when everyone at the FIA, ( FISA ), was taking offence at every single thing said, or written.
Conky81
28th April 2025, 22:46
Was thinking the same. There needs to be a change in a few things in the FIA. Number 1 is that the president needs to be much younger and not an old rich guy. Hate to say it but an old rich Arab man is the worst possible person for this role. I guarantee he doesn’t have any interest in F1 being a sport. I remember when Martin Brundle was young and commentating, I always thought he would have made a good president. It’s kind of a shame that Zak Brown turned down the role but a real sportsman will always want to be with a team.
Ferdi
29th April 2025, 10:05
I am afraid it is rather: Rush to install, some dumbass puritanical rules, start throwing fines, and threats around, and then noticing everyone around you doesn’t agree however, and then under public pressure (since there are elections coming up) needing to change it again (albeit temporarily until after re-election)’.
Reggie747
28th April 2025, 21:28
QUOTE
“As a former rally driver, I understand the demands they face better than most.”
UNQUOTE
Oh really ! If that were so, you woulda thought about it before rulings were made…
Conky81
28th April 2025, 22:47
Get back to that cesspit TZUK
reggie747
29th April 2025, 0:59
Nice. And how is that related to this topic ?
Dex
28th April 2025, 23:54
Yeah, he likes to compare himself to F1 drivers, despite being some regional driver (and not the most competitive region at all). Egomaniac… And imagine, “he may change…”. Who is this guy to decide?
S
29th April 2025, 1:31
Former professional racing driver and current FIA president…?
S
29th April 2025, 1:41
So because he used to be a competitor, he should encourage poor and unprofessional behaviour from current drivers, which can have a direct negative impact on all of the FIA’s racing series and corporate partners?
So many emotional responses on this topic that are completely ignorant of the realities of the professional motorsporting business.
The drivers can swear and criticise all they like – just not in the FIA’s official media. Exactly the same way that most employees and contractors are expected to not swear and slag off their employers to their customers while in the workplace.
What we’ll likely see is that once this blows over in a few months, the drivers will be on their best behaviour most of the time anyway. Right now they are just acting like children and having a tantrum to make a silly point. Note that they never have any bad words to say in public about the people directly paying them to have fun every day….
S Arkazam
29th April 2025, 16:27
‘encouage’? A tad hyperbole.
Some words which are interpreted differently around the world having a “direct negative impact on all of the FIA’s racing series and corporate partners”?
again hyperbole, and woker than woke if you really want to ban and penalise every word that could offend a few people.
Why such an ’emotional response’? Try to look at this a bit more rational.
S
30th April 2025, 0:37
Well, it is the opposite of ‘discourage’, isn’t it.
Nothing has changed over time (unlike the woke movement) – it has always been inappropriate to swear and denigrate others. Especially in the context of live TV and in professional media.
The FIA’s view IS the rational view, here. They are presenting themselves, their products (racing series) and all of the collective stakeholders to the world in as professional and profitable way as is possible. That is their responsibility to everyone involved, including consumers.
Unfortunately, a small number of people decide that their own personal ‘freedoms’ are more important than everyone else’s, knowing full well the context and its appropriateness.
S Arkazam
30th April 2025, 12:18
Indeed, your assumed freedom to determine what words others cannot utter :P
Feel free to pick a media which includes beeps for all the things you don’t want to hear (or start a company to develop swearcancelling earphones) but don’t force others to live by your rules.
And I am talking about the use of certain words, not verbal abuse.
MacLeod (@macleod)
29th April 2025, 7:58
Or he isn’t the one making up those rules …..
JoshAtTwo
28th April 2025, 23:03
Ah good. Of all the important issues that need to be addressed in F1/motorsport right now, this clearly ranks up there as the most important. Battle won drivers! Good for you, you gladiators!
Jere (@jerejj)
29th April 2025, 6:10
At least he was willing to accept a compromise regarding WRC in that swearing in time control interviews will only cause a fine if it’s targeted at a person.
How exactly did Max ‘cut short’ his post-race interview when DC only asked him one question anyway?
I didn’t feel like he’d have cut short/left prematurely at the time when listening to his answer as he simply answered the question fully as matching, so that was enough as a minimum.
SteveP
29th April 2025, 7:23
He largely avoided any words which addressed the question posed, and moved away before another could be put to him.
Given that he had clearly been simmering for about 1hr 20 min and spent time after getting out of the car focussing to present a bland answer to the one question he did pause to respond to, I think he did OK.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th April 2025, 8:53
Good points & DC might’ve indeed intended to ask him a second question, but this is only a possibility since the regular top three parc ferme/grid interviews can vary between one & two questions.
Coventry Climax
29th April 2025, 9:41
“This morning, I decided to start a special operation in our neighbouring country.”
(a certain president)
“I am considering making improvements to Appendix B..”
(another certain president)
That’s not government, that decision making by decree.
Can we stop having institutions please where one single person can come up with and implement (derailed) decisions in the first place?
SteveP
29th April 2025, 12:01
Look for the root cause.
Maybe if people took note of “he that most wishes the task is least suited” ?
The best selection is one where their real CV says they have all the qualities, and they are pressed into doing the job until a better candidate is found. Their first, and ongoing, task is to find their replacement, meanwhile do the job – properly.
Coventy Climax
29th April 2025, 16:12
I more or less agree with the cure that you come up with, for this disease.
I sometimes say IQ weighed voting might be an option, but consider that to be in jest please.
(Although age limitations are a form of it.)
Other than that, recognising the disease is half the cure.
S Arkazam
29th April 2025, 16:33
But a small test that you understand how democracy and economic decisions work (out) before voting might help.
And regarding voting on the next NZ flag should exclude me (as I’m colour blind)
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
29th April 2025, 12:27
People swear, I do. It’s expression, it’s natural and all civilisations have had some form of it. Steven Pinker explains it fantastic detail. I occasionally swear at work when amplifying something (I would never raise my voice obviously). But I do swear.
Would it be nice if drivers didn’t swear in FIA press conferences, people being interviewed on the radio, reality TV? Yes, that would be good. But sometimes, swears are needed to understand a character, a person and how they feel. I’m not saying people should just wander around saying anything without regard for whomever may be listening; only that it is a window into how someone feels.
If the FIA wanted no swearing, they have all the tools available to them to delay the broadcast by 7 seconds and bleep out anything they don’t see fit. I’d rather hear how Lando, Max, Fernando feel about something in a way they would communicate to anyone else if there wasn’t a camera on them.
*Of course, slurs and person attacks aside.
chimaera2003 (@chimaera2003)
29th April 2025, 19:02
@bernasaurus Swearing should be discouraged but I think it is about context and the situation.
I’m comfortable with the FIA trying to clean up press conferences where it is an unpressured environment (although I wasn’t sure that really was an problem before due to unspoken societal norms). The issue is that they have tried to clean up the in-car radio transmission and this was always going to be a disaster and exploited against the FIA due to simple human nature.
As you say, the FIA have all the tools needed to mitigate the worst language and driving at >200mph in close combat, doing >180bpm doesn’t lend itself to self-control so why they tried to police this is beyond me.
I’m fairly confident if I, hypothetically, was in a WDC battle and something that I felt outside my control got in the way of that objective happened, I would subconsciously lose it without a second thought.
Leo B
29th April 2025, 20:08
@bernasaurus
Some of the trouble comes from the extended yapping that drivers have to do these days. The greats of bygone eras didn’t have so much talking to the media forced upon them.
But I do think it is professional to do TV duties without ever resorting to swear words. A driver should be professional. It makes his life easier. In private conversation or off air discussion, on the other hand, swearing is absolutely fine.
M2X
29th April 2025, 18:14
Delusions of grandeur.
The football equivalent is “As an amateur football player, I understand the demands of the players at Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona”.
RicoD (@ricod)
30th April 2025, 17:09
He may change the misconduct rules could also mean he may make them even more strict…