The FIA must be “careful” to ensure it properly controls Formula 1 and that the sport does not become like the WWF, its president Mohammed Ben Sulaiman said.
The governing body has faced criticism following several controversies over the management of the championship. At times there have been conflicts between the FIA’s enforcement of the regulations and F1’s desire to maximize performance.
The end of the 2021 season was postponed due to a dispute over former FIA race director Michael Massi’s failure to follow the rules at the final race, which affected the outcome of the championship and led to his departure from the organisation. In the year There have been other rows over race-time decisions in 2022, including the late start of the Monaco Grand Prix, the failure to restart the Italian Grand Prix after the deployment of the safety car and rules confusion overshadowing this year’s championship-decider in Japan.
Ben Sulayem said running F1 is always a challenging and controversial part, but he stressed the FIA must apply the series’ rules correctly.
“Formula 1 is the pinnacle,” he said at a press conference at the FIA Gala yesterday. “You always get the tension in it, you get the challenge, the teams are at the limit there. They always want to find a way to go. So it’s a challenge … every hour there is a challenge.
“And it’s healthy. It’s going great. But they see us, as the FIA, we also have to be careful. There is the money side, but the management must also be right.
It drew comparisons to World Wrestling Entertainment, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation. “You just can’t have it without the rules,” he said. “Without reform, you can’t live without it.
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“What do you get? Like wrestling? Like WWF, unmanaged? No, the management should be there.
Ben Sullem said his first year as a coach at the federation was exciting but challenging. “I knew it had to be a big challenge in the FIA, to improve, to update to the new era,” he said. “It’s like a phone now, if you don’t update your phone, you’re behind. Certainly the teams, the technology is moving forward and forward and not only for that but we have to be ahead of it.
“And the regulations, the finances – and the FIA inherited some issues from before – and you can’t make decisions without going, digging and getting all the facts. It’s been a challenging year – I’m not talking about Formula 1 – I’m talking about the FIA in general.
However, he cautioned that the complexity of motor racing makes it more difficult to manage than other sports.
“I would say the FIA is complicated. why? Because if you look at any other game, like football, I mean look at the rules there. […] There is one size of goal, there is one size of football and everyone is watching.
“But look at the FIA. I mean, you look at karting, think about the rules that go into it. Think about all the disciplines, forget Formula 1, go to rallying and others. So every day is a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge.
During the evening’s trophy presentation ceremony, Ben Sulayem spoke about the confusion of the rules in Suzuka this year, which the FIA was wrongly blamed for.
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