01/05/2025
NEWS STORY
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are left unimpressed by FIA president's attitude as they claim drivers should have more say in the sport.
For as long as we can remember, we have said that the drivers - if only through their 'union', the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) - should have a say in the running of F1, particularly as they are at the coal face.
Be it circuits, technical regulations, safety or even the schedule, for years drivers have meekly accepted what was demanded of them.
However, seemingly the one good thing about Mohammed ben Sulayem's presidency is that his increasing, dictatorial attitude towards the sport has seen the drivers unite and find a voice.
Today, in Miami, while discussing what appears to be some form of U-turn over the swearing ban, Hamilton and Russell expressed theirs, and their colleagues', feelings over a range of issues.
"I think ultimately, the GPDA is very unified," said Hamilton. "Ultimately we want to be able to work closely with the FIA. I think everyone, all of us, want to continue to work together and make the sport better, and of course we've faced a bit of an uphill challenge in that communication over time," he added.
"Ultimately, we don't hold a power seat at the table, and that needs to change, in my opinion. So we, you know, if you look at other sports that have unions, that may be something that comes into play at some stage.
"As I said, we don't want to control things," he insisted, "we just want to collaborate with them more and have our voices heard.
"Ultimately, people making decisions for others that have never been in that position, it's good to have the point of view from the drivers' perspective, and that's all we try to give."
Despite claiming that he had conferred with drivers from the various FIA championship, Russell said there has been no dialogue with Ben Sulayem since the open letter sent late last year. In the letter, the GPDA asked that drivers be respected and treated properly and not like children, a reference to the various bans being introduced, whilst also questioning where the money from fines was going.
The situation will not have been helped by the subsequent announcement of escalating fines for breaches of the new regulations, including suspension.
"It feels like it's unprecedented times we've had in the last 18 months with what's been changing, what's happening," said Russell. "I think when the GPDA was founded years ago, it wasn't really to talk about politics, it was to talk about safety, it was to talk about improvements of the sport, improvements of racing.
"Especially myself, I find myself talking about topics that I didn't really have any intention of talking about," he admitted, "but we find ourselves in a time where we're not focused on the things why we're all here.
"We're here to go racing, we're here to create the best show for the fans, to have the fastest cars, the safest cars, you know, the best technology, the best engineering, and yet we talk about fines and punishments and swearing.
"So yeah, maybe something should change. We're open to it, but we just ultimately want the best for the sport."
Rather than social media posts and press releases, the drivers want direct dialogue and action.
"Obviously we want to see these things put into action, rather than saying, 'we're considering things'," said Russell. "We all consider a lot of things. We're clear we want changes, and once they are implemented, then we'll comment on it. But for the time being, it's being considered so the words don't mean anything until the change has been made.
"Collectively, we've not spoken any further since the open letter that was sent out. So whether that post is the response, I'm not too sure.
"It would be great if changes were made and the drivers were at least heard and I think that's just in the best interest for the sport and ensuring that some common sense is applied to these situations.
"All of us, we can comment on it when we see the action being taken, rather than just the consideration."