George Russell is not swayed by Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s ‘consideration’ on potential Appendix B change, as Lewis Hamilton feels GPDA should have more power.
In the lead-up to Miami GP, the FIA President Sulayem hinted on potential changes to International Sporting Code’s Appendix B, which deals with fines levied on drivers on misconduct, behaviour, values, etc. The penalty is higher for F1 drivers than others, which also includes suspensions/points deductions.
Not just the F1 driver community, the WRC counterparts were not happy as well after Adrien Fourmaux was handed a hefty fine. The FIA held talks with both the communities and they felt much better knowing the extent of fines and reasoning behind any potential charge.
Sulayem then noted about considering changes to Appendix B, but GPDA director and Mercedes driver Russell doesn’t seem to be too fancy about it. Until there is a real change, he is not taking it seriously as much. He added that they haven’t had any interaction with Sulayem on the topic as such.
As noted above, they did meet FIA representative in Australia to understand and discuss the extent. “Conceptually, yes, but obviously we want to see these things put into action rather than saying “we’re considering things” – we all consider a lot of things,” said Russell.
“We’re clear we want changes and once they are implemented then we’ll comment. But for the time being, it’s being considered. So those words don’t mean anything until the change has been made. I mean, in short, yes, I mean, collectively we’ve not spoken any further since the open letter that was sent out. So whether that is the response – I’m not too sure.
“As I said, it’ll be great if changes were made and the drivers were at least heard. I think it’s just in the best interest for the sport and ensuring that some common sense is applied to these situations. As I said, I think all of us, we can comment on it when we see the action being taken rather than just the consideration,” summed up Russell.
In a broader topic about if GPDA should get more power to directly talk with the FIA officials rather than go via open letters, Russell felt it is welcome if the governing body opts for a formal relationship. His former teammate and Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton felt the drivers should have more say certainly.
“I mean, it’s… I feel it’s like unprecedented times we’ve been in over the last 18 months with what’s been changed and what’s happening,” said Russell. “I think when the GPDA was founded years ago, it wasn’t really to talk about politics – it was to talk about safety, improvements of the sport, improvements of the racing.
“Especially myself – I find myself talking about topics that I didn’t really have any intention of talking about. But we find ourselves in a time where we’re not focused on the things why we’re all here. We’re here to go racing, we’re here to create the best show for the fans, to have the fastest cars, the safest cars, the best technology, the best engineering – and yet we talk about fines and punishments and swearing. So yeah, maybe something should change. We’re open to it, but we just ultimately want the best for the sport.”
And Hamilton added: “I think ultimately the GPDA is very unified. I think we are working to… ultimately we want to be able to work closely with the FIA. I think everyone – all of us – want to work together and make the sport better. Of course, we’ve faced a bit of an uphill challenge in that communication over time. Ultimately, we don’t hold a power seat at the table, and that needs to change, in my opinion.
“If you look at other sports that have unions, that may be something that comes into play at some stage. As I said, we don’t want to control things – we just want to collaborate more and have our voices heard. Ultimately, if people are making decisions for others who have never been in that position, it’s good to have the point of view from the driver’s perspective, and that’s all we try to give.”
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