Mercedes’ George Russell claims that select Formula 1 drivers are “fed up” with the FIA amid ongoing disputes with the governing body.
The conflict arises primarily from the FIA’s stance on driver swearing, fines and their application and transparency when it comes to communicating with the 20 drivers on the F1 grid.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), of which Russell is a director, published an open letter via Instagram on November 7 airing its grievances.
“We once again request that the FIA President provides financial transparency and direct open dialogue with us,” a segment of the letter read.
“Certain things have happened over the course of this year that we wanted to sort of stand united,” Russell explained in the Las Vegas Grand Prix Drivers’ Press Conference.
“At the end of the day, we just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening.
“The departure of [former Race Director] Niels [Wittich] is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations.”
Russell revealed that as of right now, the statement made by the GPDA has fallen on deaf ears, with no response from the FIA thus far, which the drivers were “a little bit surprised about.”
Driver fines, which the FIA has previously said could potentially reach $1 million, were at the centre of the GPDA’s objections, given there has been no clear communication as to how those fines are then spent by the governing body.
“I think ultimately for us when we were hearing from the FIA a couple of years ago when it came to the presidential elections, they were talking about transparency, talking about where the money’s going to be reinvested into sort of grassroots racing, which we’re all sort of in favour of,” Russell said.
“When it comes to some of these large fines, there’s a number of drivers on the grid who can comfortably afford these fines.
“But if we know where that’s being sort of reinvested and if it’s going into grassroots or into some training programmes, then we get it.”
F1 drivers’ relationship with the FIA going in the ‘wrong direction’
Russell pointed to the seemingly consistent revolving door policy at the FIA, which has seen countless names leave over the course of the last year, as perhaps contributing to the lack of communication with F1’s drivers.
However, he reiterated the need for the drivers to feel they’re being listened too, and that isn’t the case in his opinion.
“I think if we feel that we’re being listened to and some of the changes that we are sort of requesting are implemented because ultimately we’re only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase,” he said.
“But, yeah, I think there’s a number of drivers who feel probably a bit fed up with the whole situation, and it only seems to be going to a degree in the wrong direction.”
Moreover, Russell said the need for the GPDA to come together to voice its collective opinion on social media stemmed from past learnings.
“We’ve probably learned from the past that whenever we have spoken up, let’s say internally, it hasn’t gone anywhere,” Russell explained.
“It’s been a couple of years now that not much has changed when we have sort of given some views forward.”
Asked if he felt it’s hard to get a face-to-face meeting with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to discuss matters, Russell said “it’s not difficult” but added “getting things to change, or promises upheld, seems slightly more challenging, so, you know, it’s maybe the FIA or the President didn’t recognise how seriously we all felt.
“We want to do a small U-turn on a number of topics, and just want to work together with the FIA on this, and that’s just what we’ve felt has not been happening at all, at least directly from the President.”
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