FIA president Mohammad Ben Sulayem has done himself no favors by making various controversial remarks over the past year. One such remark of his was for the current F1 drivers, suggesting they mind their own business after the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) issued a letter against him.
Among the many concerns that the GPDA raised, one of them was to urge Ben Sulayem to speak to their drivers with respect. “We urge the FIA President to also consider his tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise,” read a part of their lengthy statement.
Now, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher is the latest to call out Ben Sulayem. Besides criticizing him overall on how he handles matters related to F1, Schumacher particularly pointed out how the FIA president does not follow the advice that he gave to the F1 drivers.
“He (Ben Sulayem) interferes with the value of Formula 1. He did that early last year somewhere,” Schumacher revealed in an interview with F1 Maximaal.nl. “I don’t think that’s his business. As he says, if it’s his business, others shouldn’t interfere.”
Ben Sulayem had caused quite a controversy at the beginning of 2023 when he claimed that F1’s valuation of $20 billion was exaggerated. “As the custodians of motorsport, the FIA, as a non-profit organization, is cautious about alleged inflated price tags of $20bn being put on F1,” he wrote in a Twitter (now X) post.
As the custodians of motorsport, the FIA, as a non-profit organisation, is cautious about alleged inflated price tags of $20bn being put on F1. (1/3)
— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) January 23, 2023
With Schumacher believing that Ben Sulayem is interfering in things he should not, the German added, “I think he’s one of the worst, if not the worst FIA president I know“. This was one of the many things for which Schumacher slammed the 63-year-old Emirati.
Ben Sulayem’s firings at the FIA did not please Schumacher
Another major issue involving Ben Sulayem that irked many, including Schumacher, was the employee firings last year. “Taking a decision like in 2024, with three races to go, to change the race director and things like that, it’s all a bit too much for everyone, including the spectators,” the German added.
Per the BBC, the FIA fired four employees, including former F1 race director Niels Wittich, within the span of two weeks. Schumacher then further added how Ben Sulayem makes everything about himself. “He always has to be on the podium to show himself,” the former Williams driver added.
“These guys don’t know what they’re doing!”
EJ slams the FIA for replacing seasoned race director Niels Wittich with the inexperienced Rui Marques at a pivotal point in the season.
Listen to #FFS! nowhttps://t.co/NpaTmQcDhY pic.twitter.com/gmK71OWi2R
— Formula For Success (@F1ForSuccess) November 21, 2024
To sum it all up, the 49-year-old added that under Ben Sulayem’s leadership, the FIA has simply not grown with F1, which he claims has gone through enormous change in the past few years. So, Schumacher concluded by stating that all he can hope for is that “there will be a better system“ in 2025.
