Lewis Hamilton has a clear message for the FIA after Mohamman Ben Sulayem's recent announcement
Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that it would be better if the drivers had a bigger voice and seat at the table if we are trying to make an impact in the sport. This comes in the aftermath of the FIA president announcing that the governing body would rethink the regulations that had been put in place early in the year, which instituted harsh penalties for drivers willing to speak their minds and criticize the officials.
As a part of the new regulations that had been put in place, the drivers can face serious penalties for the language that they use and could even get banned from races. Since Mohammad Ben Sulayem has taken over as the head of the FIA, there have been some serious missteps committed by him.
It all started with the infamous jewelry-gate, where Lewis Hamilton was embroiled in an unnecessary back-and-forth between the driver and the governing body. The late iteration has seen Max Verstappen giving the cold shoulder to the media in Jeddah after the driver's race as he alluded to the potential penalties proving to be a bit of a hindrance in expressing himself.
Amongst all of this, the FIA president released a statement where he said that the governing body will take a look at these regulations, and changes could potentially be implemented. Lewis Hamilton, however, is not too excited by the step as he continues to say that the GPDA should have a seat at the table. During the pre-race FIA press conference, he said,
"I think ultimately the GPDA is very unified. Ultimately, we want to be able to work closely with the FIA. I think everyone, all of us want to continue to work together and make the sport better. And 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. We don't want to control things; we just want to collaborate with them more and have our voices heard. Ultimately, people making decisions for others that 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."
Lewis Hamilton's former teammate not too impressed with the FIA president's statement
Just like Lewis Hamilton, his former teammate George Russell wasn't too impressed with the statement made by the FIA president, as he felt that the actions were more important than words. Russell is the head of the GDPA, and he told the media,
"We want to see these things put into action rather than saying we're considering things. We all consider a lot of things. We're clear we want changes. And once they are implemented, then we'll comment on it. But for the time being, it's being considered. So, it's just the words don't mean anything until the change is being made."
Just like Lewis Hamilton, multiple drivers have been caught in the crosshairs with the FIA, and it will be interesting to see if the governing body does take actions that the drivers end up favoring.