Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner believes FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been involved in the sport “too much” following the tirade involving Max Verstappen.
Ben Sulayem said drivers also have a responsibility to keep in mind what they say, after suggesting in an interview published ahead of last month’s Singapore GP that he would like to see fewer messages containing profanity – including beeps – on F1’s world TV feed. In the car, world champion Verstappen was punished for swearing at the official FIA press conference on Thursday.
Verstappen, who used profanity to describe his car’s disappointing performance in a previous race in Azerbaijan, was ordered to “perform some work in the public interest” rather than being fined as had been the case in previous similar cases. “This topic has been raised before and is well known to our competitors.”
He said this while appearing in the latest edition. Sky Sports F1 podcastSteiner said he likes Ben Sulayem, whom he has known since his rally days, and gets on well with him, but does not think the 62-year-old needs to be so involved in the day-to-day affairs of the sport. .
“I’ve known Mohammed for a very long time,” Steiner said.
“He came from the assembly, I came from the assembly, I spent quite a bit of time with him, and as someone who likes Mohammed, I have always liked him.”
“He’s actually a good character, but as president sometimes he seems to get too involved in sports and not do himself any favors with it.
“Being president of a federation like the FIA is a big job, so you have to have people running the organization, and I don’t think you would have time to do that if you were involved in the day-to-day operations. It has to be done at a level.”
Ben Sulayem, who succeeded Jean Todt as FIA President in December 2021, has responsibilities across global motorsport and motoring.
And Steiner added about the Emirati involvement in F1: “I think he needs to have good people around him and he’s always involved and sometimes gets criticized.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem speaks to Verstappen at the Hungarian GP at the start of the 2024 season.
“In these positions, you have to get used to being criticized. You don’t always know how good you are.
“When you get praise, you get criticism, and when you become a public figure, you become part of it. But you have to live with that and you can’t be everyone’s friend. That’s not going to happen, not even (for) me!”
‘Sports require emotion’ – Steiner slams Verstappen
In protest of sanctions for abusive language, Verstappen limited his answers in two successive appearances at official FIA press conferences in Singapore. This press conference was held after qualifying and the race, and instead he spoke in more detail separately with reporters later.
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Verstappen took part in a surprising press conference after the Singapore qualifiers, swearing and then refusing to answer questions comprehensively.
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris backed Verstappen, saying they did not agree with the punishment handed down, with the seven-time champion suggesting the Red Bull driver should not be punished.
Steiner, who became known for his colorful and blunt language during his time in charge of Haas, believes the whole situation could have been easily avoided if the FIA had cut down on bad language.
“Max swore about the situation (in Baku). He made a comment about his car. Is that right? No. Is it wrong? No,” Steiner said.
“He used the terms he decided to use, and that’s fine, but the more he brings it up, the more controversy it causes, the more people talk about it.
“If I don’t want this to happen, what I would do is when we have a driver meeting, every race, all 20 drivers will go there and say, ‘Hey guys, I have a wish. Can you help me?’ ‘I’m the president here, can I please cut down on the profanity?’
“They’re 20 smart people. They don’t challenge you (if you approach them that way), but if you tell them they’re going to get a fine, they’ll challenge you.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris didn’t think it was right for Verstappen to receive an abusive language penalty from the FIA.
Steiner believes that seeing the emotions of the participants is what ultimately attracts people to the sport.
“It’s difficult for a race car driver,” he added.
“When you’re sitting in your car and you’re going 350 or 360 kilometers an hour and another guy cuts you off and you say something emotionally… and you didn’t really mean it, then the TV beeps. Out anyway.
“It’s emotions. We’re emotional people. What should I say? ‘Dude, I shouldn’t have done that?’ I can’t say that my adrenaline is pumping and my pulse goes up to 260.
“You won’t say that, but that’s also what defines sports. Sports need emotion. Otherwise, why would sports be interesting? So I think we’ve created too much (what happened in Singapore).”
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