Sacked F1 race steward Tim Mayer has taken aim at FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in a series of claims.
Mayer, who was this week axed by Ben Sulayem, says the president “directly involved himself in making his views known” within the organisation.
A stewards’ panel is assigned to each race and represents an independent body of officials to oversee the race, however, Mayer says Ben Sulayem aired his views “not with the stewards directly, but via his staff”.
Mayer also revealed that the controversial decision to punish drivers for swearing also came from the FIA president. Max Verstappen was hit with a community service punishment for swearing at the Singapore GP while Charles Leclerc was fined €10,000, half of which was suspended, for swearing at the race in Mexico.
Mayer told BBC Sport: “His [Ben Sulayem’s] view that the drivers need to be penalised for swearing – that is his view and what has happened since reflects that.”
Mayer added: “There are times when he has directly involved himself in making his views known. Not with the stewards directly, but via his staff.
“Part of the job of the stewards is to enforce the FIA’s policy on the rules.
Steven Kalifowitz, CMO, Crypto, Tim Mayer, Director of Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, and Miami Dolphins Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, on the podium for the trophy presentations
Photo by: Mark Sutton
“Technically, bad language is outlawed, so it’s not unfair. Whether it’s sensible we should be chasing drivers for rather mild swearing is another matter.
“Most drivers, English is their second, third or fourth language, and every go-kart kid in the world, it’s the first word[s] they are taught in English. There are other ways to handle that kind of thing unless your desire is to flex your muscles.”
Mayer’s accusation is extremely serious after Ben Sulayem was subjected to an internal investigation into the outcome of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
A whistleblower had claimed that Ben Sulayem allegedly intervened to overturn a post-race penalty issued to Fernando Alonso, who had been handed a 10-second time penalty for having work done to his car while serving a five-second penalty that he had received earlier in the race.
Alonso, who was initially hit with a penalty for being out of position on the grid, had his car touched by a rear jack when he came in to serve his sanction.
In March this year, a whistleblower claimed that Ben Sulayem called…
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