Coulthard’s comments come after the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem responded to a stern letter sent by the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers’ Association].
In this letter, the F1 drivers demanded greater transparency, including in how fine money is used by the FIA, while also criticising the stances taken on swearing, jewellery and fireproof underwear, asking the FIA president “to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise”.
However, Ben Sulayem’s response was blunt and very clear.
“None of their business. Sorry,” he told Autosport.
“With all respect, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race.”
It is safe to say that Coulthard – a 13-time F1 grand prix winner – does not approve this message.
“The FIA president had a letter sent by the drivers prior to Las Vegas asking for greater transparency, how the FIA spend the fines that are applied to the drivers. In many cases, the drivers do pay that directly,” Coulthard began on the Formula For Success podcast.
“And they also urged him to adopt a more respectful approach on matters such as swearing and wearing jewellery, and asked to be treated like adults.
“And apparently, in an interview in Autosport, he had said, ‘With all respect, I am a driver. I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race’.
“Now, that is exactly the sort of condescending response that p*sses people off nowadays.
“I wouldn’t claim to be a driver. I’m an ex-driver. And as far as I know, the president, is an ex-driver. So the best people to know what it is to be a driver, especially a Formula 1 driver, and this letter came from the Formula 1 drivers, is the Formula 1 drivers!
“That’s what worries me. To be dismissed in a way, like your opinion doesn’t matter. We revere these guys. We celebrate these guys. The Drivers’ Championship is what gets all of the publicity.
“And then, on the other hand, senior people want to go, ‘Yeah, look, just get on and drive the car!’ I never experienced with Frank Williams, Ron Dennis, or Mr. Mateschitz, and Christian [Horner] as the [Red Bull] team principal, I never once was ever treated like a child, even when I clearly had peed on the carpet in as much that I had taken four wheels off the race car.
“Not once did they ever go, ‘What were you thinking? What were you doing?'”
Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan was in agreement with Coulthard, as he questioned the FIA president’s approach considering he is up for re-election in 2025.
“David, you’re absolutely spot on,” Jordan replied. “When you have a group of celebrated people who are absolutely at the pinnacle of their sport, and they are not allowed to have a say and are dismissed out of question, the person who suffers here, is Mohammed.
“He’s going up for an election soon, and I would have thought he needs to embrace the drivers. At least, he should open a dialogue with them or discuss and say, ‘Okay, give me three of your selected, who are the guys who are on the board, or who are the main people on the board, if it’s Lewis and if it’s Alonso and this guy, bring them to me and we’ll have a meeting’.
“No, no, no, no. So it’s put to one side.
“You have wars throughout this world, and if we had more dialogue between the protagonists in these wars, we might not have the wars that we have. The problem is people get staunch, hardcore values in their head and they won’t move.
“And that’s the problem here. There’s a standoff between the drivers and the FIA, and that needs to stop.”
Ben Sulayem succeeded former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt as FIA president in December 2021.
