Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner believes FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem gets involved in the sport “too much”, after the swearing saga involving Max Verstappen.
After Ben Sulayem had suggested in an interview published ahead of last month’s Singapore GP that he wanted to see fewer messages containing foul language – which is bleeped – broadcast on F1’s world TV feed, and that drivers also had a responsibility to mind what they said when in the car, world champion Verstappen was punished for swearing in the official FIA press conference on the Thursday.
Verstappen, who had used an expletive to describe the disappointing performance of his car at the previous race in Azerbaijan, was ordered to “accomplish some work of public interest” rather than being handed a fine, as in similar cases before, as stewards said “this topic has been raised before and is well known by the competitors”.
Speaking during his appearance on the latest edition of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Steiner said that while he likes and gets on well with Ben Sulayem, who he has known since their days in rallying, he believes the 62-year-old does not need to be so involved in day-to-day matters in the sport.
“I’ve known Mohammed for a very long time,” said Steiner.
“He comes from rallying, I come from rallying, and I’ve spent quite a lot of time together with him and as a person I like Mohammed, I’ve always liked him.
“He’s actually a good character, but as a president I think sometimes he gets involved too much into the sport and he doesn’t do himself any favours with that.
“You have to have people who run the organisation because it’s a big job being a president of a federation like the FIA and if you get involved in the day-to-day running, I don’t think there’s the time there to do it at the level it needs to be done.”
As FIA president, Ben Sulayem, who was elected to the role by the governing body’s membership in December 2021 as successor to Jean Todt, has responsibilities across global motorsport and motoring.
And Steiner added on the Emirati’s F1 involvement: “He just, in my opinion, should have good people around him doing the job for him and he always gets involved in it and sometimes he’s critiqued.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem speaking to Verstappen at the Hungarian GP earlier in the 2024 season
“In these positions you need to get used to being critiqued, you cannot always be just [about] how good you are.
“If you get praise you also get criticism and when you’re a public figure that is part of it. But you need to live with that, you cannot be everybody’s friend. That is just not going to happen – not even [for] me!”
‘We need emotions in a sport’ – Steiner on Verstappen swearing row
In protest against his sanction for swearing, Verstappen limited his answers in his two subsequent appearances in official FIA press conferences in Singapore, which took place after qualifying and then the race, instead speaking to journalists in greater detail separately afterwards.
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Verstappen was part of an astonishing press conference following qualifying in Singapore as he refused to answer questions comprehensively after a swearing penalty
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris backed Verstappen by saying they did not agree with the punishment handed down, with the seven-time champion suggesting the Red Bull driver should not serve it.
Steiner, who became famous during his time in charge of Haas for his own often-colourful and straight-talking language, believes the whole situation could have easily been avoided in order for the FIA to cut down on bad language.
“Max swore at the situation [in Baku]. He made a comment about his car. Is it right? No. Is it wrong? No,” said Steiner.
“He used the terminology which he decided to use, it’s fine. But the more you bring it up, the more controversy you create, the more people speak about it.
“If you don’t want this to happen what I would be doing is when there are driver meetings – every race all 20 drivers there – you go in there and say ‘hey, guys, I’ve got one wish, can you help me out here? I’m the president, can we tone the swearing a little bit down, please?’
“They are 20 intelligent people, they don’t challenge you [if that’s how you approach it], but if you tell them that you will get fined or something they challenge you.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris did not believe it was right for Verstappen to receive a swearing penalty from the FIA
Steiner believes seeing the emotion of the participants is what ultimately draws people to sport.
“It’s difficult for a race-car driver,” he added.
“When you’re sitting in a car and you are going 350-360kph and some other guy cuts you off and you say something in the emotion… you don’t really mean that [what you have said]. Then the TV beeps it out anyway.
“It is emotion. We are emotional people. What should you say? ‘Oh my friend, you shouldn’t have done that?’ You are not going to say that when your adrenaline is going and your pulse is up to 260.
“You’re not going to say that. But that is also what defines a sport. We need emotions in a sport otherwise why would it be interesting? So I think there was too much made out of it [what happened in Singapore].”
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