Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s NFL-Inspired Misconduct Fine in F1 Criticized for Flawed Implementation

Tensions between drivers and the FIA continue to increase as the governing body of the sport takes a leaf out of the NFL’s playbook to introduce new guidelines for misconduct fines. This is mainly because unlike in the NFL, where the officials and the players had agreed to implement this beforehand, no discussions took place in F1.

President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has always been one for penalizing drivers for misconduct. He doesn’t appreciate them swearing or misbehaving when in public. For that, Ben Sulayem has also drawn comparisons from other sports.

“In terms of the scale of the sanctions Ben Sulayem has long argued that F1 needs to fall in line with other sports like football (soccer) and American football,” a video put up by The Race quoted.

“America’s NFL does impose fines for such rule breaches but there is a critical difference. NFL’s fine schedule is in agreement with the governing body, which is the NFL, and the NFL Player’s Association.” 

Just realized this is the general FIA regulations (so it applies to all FIA championships!) but for F1 the fines are multiplied by 4!! So for the 1st offense they’d have to pay €40.000!! pic.twitter.com/QG7ny0zFH9

— Alice (@alice_nyoom) January 22, 2025

The narrator of the video also suggested that a backlash shouldn’t be surprising since the FIA didn’t bother talking to the drivers about these new rules, which will be similar to the ones handed out in the NFL for verbal or non-physical offenses against officials.

Plus, unlike F1, where the FIA can impose fines as high as $125k, the NFL’s figures are limited to $63,204. This proves that even though Ben Sulayem insisted that he wanted the numbers to be similar to other sporting leagues such as the NFL, that is not the case. Simply because of how exorbitant the numbers are in F1.

GPDA likely to hit back at the FIA over latest fine guidelines

Just over two months ago, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) publicly criticized the FIA. Not only for their lack of transparency but for issuing punishment for “trivial” matters such as swearing in press conferences and wearing jewelry.

Now, with the FIA introducing a more dictatorial fine system, the GPDA is unlikely to stay quiet. That’s because, in the public letter they issued last November, the GPDA had requested the FIA to have a more open dialogue with the drivers before introducing any new rules.

That does not seem to be happening at the moment. Soon after the FIA issued their latest fine guidelines, it was reported that they came to this decision following a “snap e-vote” and had no consultation whatsoever with any of the other stakeholders. Ben Sulayem may soon find himself in very hot water with the drivers, teams, and fans of the sport.