Pat Behar, from F1 photographer to FIA delegate
The former independent photographer and then delegate of photographers at the FIA looks back on his professional career in an interview with Lucas Pueyo on the Youtube channel "LucasParleF1". With a few anecdotes along the way.
Present on almost all circuits between 1977 and 2017, Pat Behar experienced several eras of Formula 1. First, as an independent photographer from 1977 to 1993, and then with the hat of delegate for photographers within the International Automobile Federation (FIA), until the Australian Grand Prix in 2017. He explains that he and his colleagues at the time complained that there was no interface between photographers and the FIA. There were always issues: blocked access, invalid passes, and all sorts of problems.
His arrival at the FIA
At the end of the 1993 season, he then decides to write to the president of the FIA at the time, Max Mosley, to list all the problems encountered as a photographer and proposes his candidacy for a new position: to help the FIA manage photographers. Upon his return from the Estoril circuit in Portugal, where Alain Prost was testing a new McLaren equipped with a Peugeot engine, Pat Behar receives a letter from the FIA accepting his proposal. After a meeting at the headquarters of the international organization, a four-race trial period is granted to him in the following season: the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Pacific Grand Prix (in Aida, Japan), the San Marino Grand Prix (Imola), and the Monaco Grand Prix. This trial period will be overshadowed by the tragic weekend of 1994, with the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna. At the end of his trial period, the FIA’s general manager explains to him that they have enough trouble dealing with the events to also handle Pat Behar’s situation. He will finish the year in the same position and continue for the next 25 years.
The official title of his position at the FIA is “photographer delegate”. His experience at the 1992 Olympic Games seems to be the triggering factor for his appointment. His typical day coincided with the pre-race work to regulate all accreditations. On Grand Prix days, he was present in the pit lane and had to manage all the preparations before the podium, ensuring that the photographers complied with all the restrictions and enforcing the rules of the Parc Fermé.
De Vries more impressive than Verstappen
During his career, Pat Behar also served as the FIA delegate in karting from 2010 to 2012. However, he lost his position when the authorities wanted to cut costs. He was able to regain his function in 2012. During this period, he had the opportunity to work with several drivers who are now in Formula 1. According to Behar, the best of them all is none other than Nyck de Vries, a two-time karting world champion. He was above everyone else, asserts Behar, who would have bet a million dollars on him rather than on Albon, Leclerc, Verstappen. He doesn’t hesitate to compare the young Dutchman’s driving skills to Ayrton Senna’s.
« I got it all wrong. For me, Max Verstappen was not impressive. The one who was super impressive, above everyone else, is Nyck de Vries. I would have bet a million dollars on him. He was a double karting world champion, they say he was champion in F2, in F3, but nobody talks about karting. The way he won his first title, it was pure Senna. »
His presence on the go-karting circuits also allowed Pat Behar to observe the relationship between the Verstappen father and son. He was truly infamous, very harsh, he would send him away and treat him like shit and everything. […] He was just a kid […] He would talk to him like he was garbage.
Pat Behar even had to deal with the toughness and demands of Jos Verstappen while installing small cameras at the front of the karts. He would say that it hindered the aerodynamics. It’s true that it could block a bit. I told him, “Listen, Jos, go talk to my bosses. They’re the ones asking me to put the cameras, so I put the cameras.”
Jacques Laffite, the coolest
As the “delegate of photographers” at the FIA, Pat Behar was able to work and interact with a multitude of drivers. But for him, the coolest one was Jacques Laffite, also known as “Jacko”. He was completely natural. He mentions other drivers: With Alain [Prost], it was just fine, with Ayrton [Senna] very difficult, mainly because of the presence of his managers. As for Michael Schumacher, yes, but you always had the impression that he was saying hello to the uniform, the complete opposite of Lewis Hamilton, adorable, very different from the others, but he hated photographers when he was at McLaren. I nicknamed him “Lou” and told him, “Ignore them, you don’t care. Walk through the paddocks as if they didn’t exist. That’s the only way they won’t bother you.”
Another adorable driver in his eyes is Nelson Piquet Sr… but the son too, always very funny. Behar reveals another anecdote about him: In Brazil, there is an antagonism between Sao Paulo and Rio, like Paris and Marseille. [Piquet Sr] said in the local press that he doubted Ayrton’s sexual orientation. So we went to see Ayrton and told him to come to the paddock with a girl, so we could take photos to end the story. He never did it. That’s also Ayrton. We told him “you’re an idiot”. According to him, the most unpleasant drivers were Nigel Mansell during his time at Williams and Jonathan Palmer.
The discomfort of the FIA 2022 awards ceremony
During his interview, Pat Behar also discussed the issues within the current FIA, where many disagreements and power struggles have tarnished the institution’s image. After briefly recalling the times of Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, when a cordial, even more than cordial, expectation prevailed and where their positions in relation to each other were clearly established and neither of them deviated from this rule, Pat Behar lamented the spectacle seen at the FIA awards ceremony. Mohamed Ben Sulayem, the current president of the FIA, had ensured that the trophy presented to Christian Horner was not counted towards the budget cap as the institution had paid for it.
« What he said with Christian Horner at the FIA award ceremony […] I found it to be neither the place nor the time… it was pointless. The FIA does this, does that, but it’s not you who paid for the trophy. […] They will say it’s a public relations issue […] people started questioning things, even though there was no need to do it there. »
