George Russell « surprised » that the FIA has not replied to the GPDA’s letter
At the press conference in Las Vegas ahead of this weekend's Grand Prix, George Russell once again expressed drivers' frustration at the FIA's attitude and lack of transparency and response.
George Russell confirmed that the FIA did not respond to the statement from the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) regarding drivers’ conduct in F1.
Earlier this month, the GPDA published a long statement on its new Instagram account, addressing various subjects. The letter focused on the issue of swearing, which led to fines for Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, while calling on FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to reflect on his tone and language.
The past few weeks have been turbulent for the FIA, which replaced the F1 race director, Niels Wittich, with Rui Marques for the last three races of the year. George Russell, who is the president of the GPDA, was questioned about a potential FIA comeback following the mentioned statement.
« No, » answered Russell. « Not for the moment, which surprises me a little, but maybe there will be a response to come. Who knows. »
An issue of transparency regarding fines
Another subject addressed in the letter concerned the fines imposed on drivers. George Russell believes there is a lack of transparency regarding the use of funds collected by the FIA through these fines. Ultimately, when we heard from the FIA a few years ago, during the presidential elections, they were talking about transparency, and that the money would be reinvested in grassroots categories of motorsport, which we all support, he explained.
« When it comes to these significant fines, there are several drivers on the grid who can afford these fines without any issue. However, there may be rookies for whom a million dollar fine would be unaffordable. If we know where this money is reinvested, for example in grassroots categories or training programs, we simply want transparency and to understand what had been promised from the start. »
Are drivers fed up?
Between the Brazilian and Las Vegas Grand Prix, the FIA experienced another departure, that of Paolo Basarri, who held the position of compliance manager. George Russell acknowledged that the FIA is clearly not the most stable place and that several drivers are probably tired of the situation.
We know that everyone is working as hard as possible to do the best job possible. There are obviously a lot of changes within the FIA quite regularly, so it’s clearly not the most stable place. Maybe that’s why it has been a bit difficult to implement some of the changes we have requested.
« Of course, everyone has their own version of the facts. As I said, if we feel listened to and some of the changes we ask for are implemented, because we only do it for the good of the sport, then maybe our trust will increase.
« There are several drivers who are probably fed up with the situation. This seems to be heading, to some extent, in the wrong direction.
