Carlos Sainz is in double trouble as Formula One rolls into the weekend of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Spanish driver was fined 20,000 – half suspended – for being late for the Japanese national anthem a week ago. The drivers are in dispute with the FIA over the fines they receive, with the consensus being they are being treated like naughty school boys.
The FIA under the presidency of Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been clamping down on a number of misdemeanours such as the wearing of jewellery in the cockpit, the donning lucky underpants instead of the FIA approved fire proof underwear and now swearing has been banned with authoritarian style punishments introduced for 2025.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) penned a collective letter to the FIA in November 2024, incensed by Ben Sulayem likening them to “rappers”; the clear implication was they were turning the air blue with each sentence, a clearly unfair characterisation.
F1 drivers demand FIA explain fines
In the correspondence which was only the second time on history the GPDA had collectively written to the FIA the drivers restated their position that the fines per se were inappropriate. Signed by “the directors and chairman of the GPDA on behalf of the grand prix drivers”, it said: “The GPDA has, on countless occasions, expressed its view that driver monetary fines are not appropriate for out sport.
“For the past three years, we have called upon the FIA president to share the details and strategy regarding how the FIA’s financial fines are allocated and where the funds are spent. We have also relayed our concerns about the negative image financial fines bring to the sport.
“We once again request the FIA president provides financial transparency and direct, open dialogue with us. All stakeholders (FIA, F1, the teams and the GPDA) should jointly determine how and whether the money is spent for the benefit of the sport.”
This was met with short shrift as Ben Sulayem replied telling the drivers in effect to ‘mind their own business.’ “Do we tell them how to drive? Do we tell them what to have as their strategy?” he was reported as saying by ESPN.
FIA president: “Its none of their business”
“It’s none of their business,” he added. “Sorry, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race.” Referring to their call for transparency in terms of where the fines money goes, he said: “They talk and then they say, where are you putting the money? Why we don’t do this? I don’t say ‘Oh, sorry, what about you…
“The drivers are getting over 100 million. Do I ask where they spend it? No. It’s up to them. It’s their right. We do whatever we do with the money. It’s our business. It’s also with them and their money. It’s their business,” was the curt response from the FIA president.
Sainz was extremely unhappy about the ‘being late’ fine when asked about it in the FIA press conference, explaining he had a “stomach issue” and was longer than expected in the bathroom. When asked about the fine Sainz ironically replied: “I don’t know if I’m going to get another fine for saying this, but shit happens. It’s the way it is. It’s the way it goes sometimes.”
The FIA delegate who was present at the press event confirmed that Sainz use of bad language may well be referred to the stewards for consideration. This year the FIA issued new draconian rules to be applied when an F1 driver swears and now the first event in a rolling twelve months period will see a fine of $40,000 handed down. Strike two will see an €80,000 fine issued and strike three is a €120,000 fine and a shocking one month ban from racing.
McLaren bizarre admission over their 2025 car
Sainz supports punctuality
This is truly beyond a heavy handed approach from the FIA and the matter remains a topic for debate amongst the members of the GPDA.
Four-times world champion Max Verstappen had to do “work of public interest” in Rwanda as his punishment for swearing at a Singapore Grand Prix press conference last September. He described his car a week earlier in Baku as “fucked” and was made an example of by the stewards who issued q punishment not seen before.
Carlos says he supports punctuality for the national anthem at each F1 weekend and that “I was the first one to put my hand up and say ‘I’m late. I’m sorry for that’,” he explained.
FIA dispute Carols explanation
“At the same time, I was five seconds late. And to be five seconds late and have to pay 10,000 or whatever the fine is, for me, it is out of the question that we are having to pay these fines. For five seconds, it’s disappointing. I hope someone tells me where this 10K goes and they say ‘OK, at least it went to a nice cause.’ I will be looking forward to seeing where they go.”
The FIA delegate who attended the Bahrain FIA drivers press conference later disputed the Spaniards assertion that he had been just five seances late, stating there was TV footage of Sainz running down the pit lane as the anthem was being played.
Carlos former McLaren team mate and championship leader, Lando Norris appeared to have little sympathy for his golding buddy when asked should Sainz be fined for his outburst in the FIA press conference. “Probably, because they told us not to swear,” said Norris.
Carlos Sainz will almost certainly receive his first strike under the new FIA guidelines to the stewards over swearing punishments. This will mean he has just one more ‘pass’ for swearing over the next twelve months and driving a Williams F1 car this may be difficult to avoid. Should a driver ever receive a one month race ban there is likely to be a revolt for the GPDA including a possible strike which would create a crisis for the FIA to untangle.
Toyota F1 entry on the brink
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by the Japanese auto manufacture the ToyotaMotor Corporation. It was based in Cologne, Germany and announced its intentions to join the sport in 1999. After extensive testing the team was ready to join the grid in 2002 with they TF101 which scored a point in their first ever F1 outing.
Yet over the next several seasons Toyota was heavily criticised for having the biggest budget in F1 (a reported $1bn) but never being able to claim a Grand Prix win. Notable drivers for the team over the years included Mika Salo, Jarno Truli, Ralf Schumacher, Timo Glock and Kamui Kobayashi.
On November 9th 2009 Toyota announced its immediate withdrawal from F1 ending the teams involvement for eight consecutive seasons. In a similar fashion to Honda handing over their 2009 car to Brawn who went and won both championships, there are a number of people in the industry who believe the 2010 Toyota F1 challenger, which was developed but never raced, was one of the most technically advanced F1 car in terms of aerodynamics ever seen… READ MORE
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Says someone who feeds off the carcass of others, Ofcoarse you would want to see that materialize for you but go feed elsewhere, this one has a while to go yet setting some more records in the process