As the drivers struggle to swallow the recent and staggering update to their financial penalties within Formula 1, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, stands resolute in defense of the decision to rev up the maximum fines for drivers to an eye-watering EUR 1 million.
The bold and shock move became a hot topic ahead of the recent U.S. Grand Prix, leaving drivers in astonishment as they realised the maximum fines had just quadrupled in an instant. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc noted: “I mean, some drivers are making less than 1 million.”
George Russell, who also holds a significant role at the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, added that he had not received any “response” on what the FIA intends to do with such enormous sums of money collected from the drivers.
In response to these concerns, Ben Sulayem insisted that the funds collected through fines are funnelled back into the sport, supporting “grassroots” motor racing initiatives or being “reinvested in the sport.”
He also underscored the necessity for the fines to be commensurate with the current value of the sport. “Teams are now in the billions in terms of value,” he said, noting that the scales of the fines had hardly been improved since the days of “Jurassic Park”.
But in a bid to quell the rising tide of criticism, Ben Sulayem made it clear that the intention behind the fines is not to penalise drivers unnecessarily. “We’re not saying ‘go and pay it’. We’re saying follow the rules. If you do, nothing will happen. Nobody will impose anything on you,” he stated firmly.
“People are exaggerating too much about this,” he said in quotes published by Marca sports newspaper. “What I hope is that the fines make life easier for the stewards, with the drivers obeying the rules instead of misbehaving.”
While acknowledging the potential for a driver to incur a million-euro fine, Ben Sulayem was clear that such a scenario is not being sought. “Obviously we don’t want anyone to reach that 1 million number, so we tell them not to do it. The rules are there and they are transparent.”
He suggested that without million-euro fines, the FIA’s role and responsibility in enforcing the rules had diminished, stating, “I can’t tell you why someone would get a million (fine). That’s not up to the president. But the FIA has to have the power to implement the rules and govern.”
