Ben Sulayem tells F1 drivers: ‘None of your business how FIA is run’

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has told Formula One drivers to mind their own business after they asked where money from race fines was going and why senior figures had left the governing body.

In an interview with Reuters ahead of Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix, the Emirati suggested drivers should stick to what they know best.

"Do we have to tell them? When something in the teams changes, do they tell us?" Ben Sulayem said when asked about the surprise departure of race director Niels Wittich before last weekend's title-deciding Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"We have the rules, we follow our rules. We don't follow someone else's rule. Simple as this."

Wittich, a German, has said he did not resign and the FIA have given no public explanation as to why he suddenly left, beyond saying it was to pursue new opportunities. Media reports have said he was sacked.

Leading steward Tim Mayer, son of former McLaren boss Teddy, and Formula Two race director Janette Tan have also gone in recent days.

Mercedes driver George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), said on Thursday drivers wanted clarity and understanding "of what's going on and who's getting fired next".

Ben Sulayem, a former rally driver who was elected as FIA head in 2021, responded by saying: "Do we tell them how to drive? Do we tell them what to have as their strategy? It's none of their business. Sorry, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race."

The GPDA issued a remarkable statement last month, in response to an FIA clampdown on swearing, in which they asked Ben Sulayem to treat them like adults and mind his own language towards them.

Financial transparency

They also requested financial transparency and said all stakeholders, including drivers and teams, should jointly determine how and where the money from fines was spent, with some suggesting it could help fund professional stewards.

"They talk and then they ask: 'Where are you putting the money? Why we don't do this?' I don't say, 'Sorry, what about you?'" answered Ben Sulayem.

"The drivers are getting more than $100 [R1.815]. Do I ask where they spend it? No. It's up to them. It's their right. We do whatever we do with the money. It's our business. It's also with them and their money. It's their business."

Ben Sulayem said the drivers had his mobile number and he had nothing to hide.

He said he "lived free of charge" in the brains of critics in the media and did not need them or care what people said. He also rejected any suggestion the FIA was in crisis and suffering a staff exodus under his leadership.

Despite his "none of your business" stance, the Emirati said later €10.3m (R196.2m) had been invested in grassroots single-seater racing last year.

"You really think I would waste the money? This is not commercial. This is the money of the members, and I have been elected to safeguard that," he said.

Ben Sulayem said 64 employees had joined the FIA in 2023 and 92 in 2024.

"I have been elected to fix the FIA and I am fixing it. I am very happy with our new team. Very happy. I inherited an FIA with an operating cost of €23m (R438.2m). And where is it now? This will be the first year we are plus."