The recently sacked FIA race steward Tim Mayer has delivered a stinging rebuke to Formula One’s governing body and the management of its president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, with the organisation once again left reeling in the face of very public criticism.
Mayer, a race steward for 15 years, told the BBC in an interview he was sacked by text message on Tuesday and stated Ben Sulayem had involved himself in the decision-making process of the stewards, who are supposed to be independent.
“There are times when he has directly involved himself in making his views known. Not with the stewards directly, but via his staff,” he said, adding that so many personnel were now leaving the organisation they were “literally running out of people to do those jobs”.
Earlier this month, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association said they were fed up and had lost confidence in the FIA and Ben Sulayem, after receiving no response to their collective criticism of both in a public statement. One of the issues they wanted to discuss was the clampdown in punishing drivers for swearing. Mayer confirmed in the interview this had come directly from Ben Sulayem.
“His view that the drivers need to be penalised for swearing, that is his view and what has happened since reflects that,” Mayer said. “Part of the job of the stewards is to enforce the FIA’s policy on the rules. Technically, bad language is outlawed, so it’s not unfair. Whether it’s sensible we should be chasing drivers for rather mild swearing is another matter.”
The drivers strongly believe this is a waste of their and the FIA’s time and have expressed concern as to how the money used from their fines is spent but that request for transparency has also yet to be addressed.
'He should do comedy': Norris hits back at Verstappen claims
Lando Norris has hit back at Max Verstappen's "comedy" claim that he would have won the world championship in the British driver's McLaren. Verstappen saw off Norris's title challenge to wrap up his fourth successive title in Las Vegas at the weekend.
Verstappen's Red Bull team are only third in the constructors' standings heading into the penultimate round of the season in Qatar this weekend, while McLaren hold a 24-point lead over Ferrari with the British team on course to win their first title in 26 years. As it stands, Verstappen would become the first driver since Nelson Piquet to win the title with his team so low in the constructors' standings. Brabham finished third when Piquet took the title in 1983.
Speaking in the wake of his triumph in Vegas, Verstappen claimed he would have won the championship "a lot sooner" if he'd been driving Norris's McLaren.
"He should start doing comedy or something," said Norris on Thursday. "He can say whatever he wants. I completely disagree. He is good. But it is not true."
Verstappen will begin his championship parade in Doha, this season's 23rd and penultimate race, before the finale in Abu Dhabi. PA Media
Since Ben Sulayem took over the FIA in December 2021, the organisation has been embroiled in repeated controversies and has now overseen a host of senior officials leaving. Alongside Mayer this week, Janette Tan, the deputy Formula 2 race director, also left the FIA. Niels Wittich, the former F1 race director, departed, reportedly sacked, before the Las Vegas GP, as did in the same two-week period, Paoli Basarri, the FIA compliance officer.
In the past year, the chief executive, Natalie Robyn, moved on after 18 months in post, as have the sporting director, Steve Nielsen, the technical director, Tim Goss, and the head of the FIA commission for women, Deborah Mayer.
Mayer expressed his shock at Tan’s departure. “She is the epitome of the type of person we want working for the FIA, the best of the next generation of race directors,” he said. “I don’t know the circumstances, but one would think they would work very hard to keep someone of her character.
“They’re not doing themselves any favours. They are literally running out of people to do those jobs.”
Mayer said he believed he had been sacked because there were “hurt feelings on behalf of the president”. After a track invasion by fans at the US GP had resulted in a fine, Mayer had overseen the right of review against the decision on behalf of the promoters of the race in his position as the sporting organiser of the US GP. He was immediately struck off the stewarding panel under the auspices of there being a conflict of interest with his FIA role, which Mayer strongly denied.
“In spite of the matter being resolved quietly and amicably, he’s [Ben Sulayem] still upset and decided to fire me,” Mayer said. “After 15 years of volunteering, my time as a steward, a decade teaching other stewards and hundreds of hours volunteering in other roles, I got a text from one of his assistants.
“There was no intention of trying to cause a problem with the FIA and I will continue as the sporting organiser of the three US grands prix. This was such a minor point that it is baffling that anyone would take such offence.”
The FIA has been contacted for comment.
