All 20 F1 drivers have come together to release a statement against the FIA on social media, following a series of controversial decisions from FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
A statement from the drivers was expected after the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association) created their own Instagram account on Monday which was followed instantly by the majority of the grid.
The GPDA is headed by Mercedes driver George Russell, who previously hinted the drivers would be making a statement following the decision to punish Max Verstappen for x-rated language.
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On Thursday morning, the GPDA account made it's first post and called out the FIA on a number of issues.
"As is the case with every sport, competitors must abide by the referee's decision, whether they like it or not, indeed whether they agree with it or not. That is how sport works," the statement began.
"The Drivers (our members) are no different and fully understand that. Our members are professional drivers, racing in Formula 1, the pinnacle of international motorsport. They are the gladiators and every racing weekend they put on a great show for the fans."
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The statement then targeted the recent penalty for Verstappen, after he was handed community service for describing his Red Bull car as 'f**ked.
"With regards to swearing, there is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as a Formula 1 car, or a driving situation," it continued.
The GPDA also called for the FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to watch his own language after he came under fire for saying swearing drivers sounded like 'rappers'.
"We urge the FIA President to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise.
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"Further, our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewelry and underpants."
The drivers then took issue with the way drivers fined huge amounts of money as there is currently no transparency in how these fines are spent by the FIA.
An example in recent years dates back to 2021 when Max Verstappen was fined around £50,000 for touching Lewis Hamilton's car.
Are the F1 drivers right to demand change?
Let us know in the comments below.
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"The GPDA has, on countless occasions, expressed its view that Driver monetary fines are not appropriate for our Sport. For the past 3 years, we have called upon the FIA President to share the details and strategy regarding how the FIA's financial fines are allocated and where the funds are spent," The GPDA added.
"We have also relayed our concerns about the negative image financial fines bring to the Sport. We once again request that the FIA President provides financial transparency and direct, open dialogue with us.
"All stakeholders (FIA, F1, the Teams, and the GPDA) should jointly determine how and where the money is spent for the benefit of our Sport.
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"The GPDA wishes to collaborate in a constructive way with all the stakeholders, including the FIA President, in order to promote our great Sport for the benefit of everyone who works in it, pays for it, watches it, and indeed loves it. We are playing our part," the statement concluded.
Topics: Formula 1, George Russell, Max Verstappen, FIA
Tom Jenkins