The FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s willingness to reconsider Appendix B of the International Sporting Code — essentially a step back from the heavy fines imposed on drivers for using swear words during official press conferences — was a topic of discussion during the Miami GP media day.
The GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) spokesperson George Russell said he did not want to commit until what are currently just statements — or election promises, in a race where Ben Sulayem currently has no opposition — become concrete measures.
George Russell then turned to his former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, asking him to weigh in on the subject. Encouraged in a friendly way by Russell, Lewis Hamilton did not hold back and gave a thoughtful response:
“I think ultimately the GPDA is very united. We want to be able to work closely with the FIA. I think all of us want to continue working together to improve this sport. Communication-wise, the challenge feels uphill. We drivers don’t have the power, we don’t have a seat at the table of power and I think that needs to change. If you look at other sports that have unions, that could come into play at some point. We don’t want to control things, we just want to collaborate more with those making the decisions and have our voice heard. In short, when people are making decisions for others — people who’ve never been in that position — it’s important they get a viewpoint from the drivers’ perspective, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” – the Ferrari driver pointed out
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