Ben Sulayem ready to backtrack on sanctions for foul language?

Are we heading towards an appeasement between the FIA ​​and the drivers? After the revolt, the time has come for dialogue and perhaps solutions between Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the controversial president of the FIA, and the drivers of the various world championships (F1, WRC, WEC…) regarding the penalty scale introduced this year to penalize the use of foul language in competition.

Last January, the FIA ​​– under the leadership of its president – had published new guidelines on this subject on the occasion of the official publication of the FIA's 2025 International Sporting Code, as part of Appendix B of the code. In this document, we find a very precise and above all very punitive sanction grid, with penalties that can go as high as heavy fines, points deductions and even periods of suspension. In addition, the amount of the sanctions are directly subject to multiplier coefficients applied according to the level of competition: for example, for F1 drivers – who represent the highest possible grade (4/4) – the sanctions must therefore be multiplied by four!

Since the start of the season, one driver has already suffered from this new grid: Adrien fourmaux, in WRC. During the Rally from Sweden, the pilot Hyundai had been fined 10 euros for using language deemed rude by the FIA ​​in front of cameras. After the Power Stage, the Frenchman said: "We fucked up yesterday", which could be translated as "We messed up yesterday." to discuss his retirement the day before. Faced with this penalty, deemed abusive by many in the discipline, the drivers and other WRC personalities had united by creating a driver association (WoRDA) and going on a speech strike during the following rally, in Kenya. Finally, ahead of the Canary Islands Rally, WoRDA and FIA have reached a compromise on the crews' comments with a relaxation of the rules depending on the media context.

Ben Sulayem evokes “constructive exchanges” with the pilots

On Monday, the day after the finish of the Canary Islands Rally, Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke out via a message posted on social media. The former rally driver assured that he had taken the time to talk with the drivers and announced that he could make changes to the controversial Appendix B of the International Sporting Code. "Following constructive discussions with drivers from the seven FIA world championships, I am considering making improvements to Appendix B, posted the FIA ​​President on InstagramAs a former rally driver, I understand their demands better than most people. Appendix B is a key part of the International Sporting Code, and it is central to ensuring that the sport remains accessible to our sporting family. People make the rules, and people can improve the rules. This is the principle of continuous improvement that I have always believed in and which is at the heart of everything we do at the FIA.

 

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A post shared by Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@mohammed.ben.sulayem)

This message confirms a period of relaxation between the FIA ​​and the drivers after several months of tension. Further information is expected later this week, on the sidelines of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

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