Ben Sulayem justifies €1M fines: ‘Everything has gone up!’

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has justified the governing body’s decision to raise the upper limit of the fines it can impose on F1 competitors, insisting “the price of everything has gone up”.

Ahead of the recent US Grand Prix, the FIA announced that it had adjusted its financial sanctions across several categories of racing, including F1, as set out in its International Sporting Code

In its statement, it said that it did so because it felt that the maximum threshold which had been in place since 2012 no longer reflected “the current needs of motorsport”.

The decision was met with widespread criticism among F1’s drivers, with GPDA director George Russell calling the scope of the raise – from €250,000 to €1 million – “ridiculous and obscene”, the Mercedes driver insisting that half the grid would likely be unable to pay such a hefty fine.

• Read also: Wolff calls for ‘reality check’ on ‘surreal’ €1M fines

Ben Sulayem elaborated on the FIA’s new policy, arguing – rather simplistically – that “the price of everything has gone up”.

“The teams are now talking about billions in terms of what each team is worth, and we’ve still not improved our regulations dating back to Jurassic Park,” he added, quoted by Speedcafe.

“We are not saying ‘go and pay’. We are saying ‘Don’t make these unnecessary penalties’. If you don’t do it, you won’t get it. Nobody will impose something on you if you follow the rules.

“The rules are there to be policed and to be implemented.”

The FIA president was unwilling to provide a clear example of a transgression that would justify a €1 million fine being levied upon a competitor, saying that the Stewards would always have the last word regarding potential sanctions.

“Stick to the rules, and nobody will say anything, nobody will charge you anything. People are over-exaggerating about this,” he argued.

“And if anyone is penalised, where does the money go? To grassroots (motorsport), investment back into the sport.

“I hope they can make life easier for our stewards by sticking to the rules instead of misbehaving.

“We obviously don’t want them to reach that (€1m), so we’re saying don’t do it. The rules are there, they’re transparent. We have nothing to hide.

“But I cannot tell you why the one million would be implemented. That’s for the stewards, not the president.

“The stewards are there, they are experienced, and they know what to do. And the drivers, they are very intelligent. They know about the rules before they jump in the car.”

When it was pointed out to Ben Sulayem that many drivers would not be able to afford a €1 million fine, the FIA president dismissed the argument.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about sticking to the rules,” he said.

“The Federation has to have the power to implement the rules, to have the governance. If we don’t have strong governance in our sport, then what?

‘We are into governance, to ensure that if rules are broken, then the regulations are very clear.”

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