After being in the spotlight over the past few race weekends, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was notably absent during the podium celebrations at the Las Vegas GP. While Max Verstappen celebrated his historic fourth World Championship and Mercedes secured a seamless 1-2 finish, Ben Sulayem’s absence raised eyebrows—particularly given the public criticism he faced from drivers just three weeks ago.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) highlighted some important issues in an open letter on social media addressed to the FIA, which explicitly targeted Ben Sulayem for his controversial comments on several matters.
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The drivers’ letter urged Ben Sulayem to “watch his tone” when addressing them or speaking about them in the media. This was a direct response to the FIA’s clampdown on swearing during the Singapore GP weekend. Ben Sulayem had been outspoken about wanting drivers to avoid using expletive language, controversially comparing such behavior to that of rappers in a widely criticized analogy.
This remark angered the drivers, but they responded strategically with their open letter. Since then, neither the FIA nor Ben Sulayem has issued any reaction or comment addressing the drivers’ concerns. There are growing suggestions that the FIA President should consider distancing himself from the drivers and F1 as a whole for some time to ease tensions. His absence in Vegas could be an attempt to manage that rift and difference of opinion with the drivers.
Ben Sulayem often used to be present in Parc Ferme to congratulate the race winner and the podium sitters.
While it mostly seemed like formal exchanges, the open letter by the GPDA suggested that the conversations with Ben Sulayem were more awkward than they looked. Nothing could be said about whether his presence in Vegas could have further boiled over the controversy.
But the way he addressed drivers while speaking about the swearing issue certainly probed all of them including Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell to take a stern stance against the 63-year-old Emirati.
Ben Sulayem has been at the center of controversy
Since taking over the FIA presidency from Jean Todt two years ago, Ben Sulayem has found himself embroiled in several controversies. The swearing ban this season was the latest, with Verstappen initially facing the brunt of the contentious restriction on the use of expletive language.
When the Dutchman used the F-word to describe his struggling RB20, the stewards reprimanded him for it during the Singapore GP. They penalized him and asked him to do community service for the same. A month later, even Leclerc got a monetary fine for swearing at the Mexican GP press conference.
This incident appeared to be the final straw for the drivers. GPDA director George Russell indicated that they would craft a comprehensive response to the swearing issue and other grievances they have faced in recent seasons. The open letter was a product of these deliberations, as the drivers united to raise several pressing concerns with the FIA.
Prior to the swearing issue, Ben Sulayem and the FIA had also enforced restrictions on wearing jewelry in the F1 car back in 2022. They also regulated that drivers should use fireproof undergarments in the car. On this, drivers like Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel revolted by wearing jewelry and underwear respectively to show the FIA that they cannot restrict their individuality so much.
