Drivers warn FIA: start treating us like adults
The Guardian|November 08, 2024
Formula One drivers have demanded the FIA stops treating them like children in a damning indictment of the governing body's policies and its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Giles Richards
Drivers warn FIA: start treating us like adults

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) issued a strongly worded statement yesterday, addressing the recent controversy over swearing. It took issue with the "tone and language" used by Ben Sulayem and questioned the financial transparency of the FIA, in a highly unusual and very public critique which puts the FIA in a difficult position.

After Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished for swearing in FIA press conferences the feeling among the drivers was that the governing body was wildly overreacting. Yesterday their scathing, united reaction was their first collective public statement since 2017.

"There is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as an F1 car or a driving situation," the statement said.

This story is from the November 08, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 08, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView All
'Will this ever end?' Abuse survivors on how the long wait for justice prolonged their anguish
The Guardian

'Will this ever end?' Abuse survivors on how the long wait for justice prolonged their anguish

It took more than 40 years before Alison Ruby felt able to tell police about the man who had peeled off her school tights and stolen her childhood. She told detectives that, from the age of 12, an antiques dealer named Richard Craig had regularly enticed her into his home during the school day to rape her in his bed.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 07, 2024
Insurance Make sure you have cover in case presents are pilfered
The Guardian

Insurance Make sure you have cover in case presents are pilfered

Burglaries soar during the festive season, with new smartphones, jewellery, bikes and other gifts offering rich pickings for thieves.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 07, 2024
Christmas How to pick the greenest tree at the best price
The Guardian

Christmas How to pick the greenest tree at the best price

Our comprehensive guide to finding the perfect tree, whether real, potted, rental or artificial. Amy Sedghi measures up the options

time-read
7 mins  |
December 07, 2024
Czech Sphinx Business dealings of tycoon close to takeover of Royal Mail
The Guardian

Czech Sphinx Business dealings of tycoon close to takeover of Royal Mail

On a cool June day in 2016, as Britain reeled from the Brexit vote, a private jet soared into the skies from RAF Northolt, charting a course for Moscow.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 07, 2024
Supermarket Christmas veg price war 'comes at a cost' for British growers
The Guardian

Supermarket Christmas veg price war 'comes at a cost' for British growers

Ten years ago, marketing executives at Britain's biggest supermarket had a brainwave: might slashing the price of basic vegetables tempt people to do their Christmas shop with them?

time-read
2 mins  |
December 07, 2024
The Guardian

Direct Line accepts improved takeover Offer from rival Aviva

The insurance company Direct Line has accepted an improved offer from its rival Aviva in a deal valuing the business at £3.6bn.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 07, 2024
The Guardian

Property prices hit another record high, says Britain's biggest lender

The average price of a house in the UK has hit a record high after a fifth successive month of increases in the value of properties, Britain's biggest mortgage lender has said.

time-read
1 min  |
December 07, 2024
Thames Water receives £5bn buyout offer from Covalis
The Guardian

Thames Water receives £5bn buyout offer from Covalis

Embattled Thames Water has received a £5bn bid from Covalis Capital that would result in France's Suez Group being brought in to manage a restructure of the UK's largest water company.

time-read
1 min  |
December 07, 2024
A 'Brexit problem': fears over safety of tap water after closure of test labs
The Guardian

A 'Brexit problem': fears over safety of tap water after closure of test labs

The safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories that test and certify these chemicals have shut down.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 07, 2024
Golden age Why saving older animals is vital to species' survival
The Guardian

Golden age Why saving older animals is vital to species' survival

It's not just humans who get wiser as they age - animals do too, according to a growing body of research.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 07, 2024