FIA President Responds to €1 Million Fine : 'Stick To The Rules' and 'Nobody Will Charge You Anything'

Thursday, 02 November 2023 at 21:00

President of the FIA organization, Ben Sulayem, responded to the change in maximum fine that has been questioned by F1 drivers as well as team principals.

It was two weeks ago that FIA announced the maximum penalty for F1 drivers will increase from the previus 250,000 euros to 1,000,000 euros.

This new change left multiple drivers shocked, questioning why somebody would even receive such a high fine. It was also pointed out that some lower-paid drivers might not even be able to afford to pay this fine.

The FIA president gave some answers to everybody as he pointed to the fact that the price of everything has gone up. He told the media, as per Speedcafe.com:

"The price of everything has gone up. The teams are now talking about billions in terms of what each team is worth, and we’ve still not improved our regulations dating back to Jurassic Park."

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There is some thruth to the fact that few years might have passed since the older maximum fine was introduced. Sulayem says don't cross the rules and you will be fine:

"We are not saying ‘Go and pay’. We are saying ‘Don’t make these unnecessary penalties’. If you don’t do it, you won’t get it. Nobody will impose something on you if you follow the rules."

The two most recent penalties given to the teams were 500€ to Alfa Romeo and 100€ to Aston Martin for pit lane speeding of Zhou Guanyu and Fernando Alonso during the qualification in Mexico City.

"The rules are there to be policed and to be implemented. Stick to the rules, and nobody will say anything, nobody will charge you anything. People are over-exaggerating about this."

Sulayem highlighted the transparency of the rules and the fact that all teams are familiar with them, but he couldn't tell the reason for which somebody would receive a €1,000,000 penalty.

"The rules are there, they’re transparent. We have nothing to hide. But I cannot tell you why the one million would be implemented. That’s for the stewards, not the president."