Formula 1 driver George Russell thinks it’s a shame that Carlos Sainz sen. will not run as a FIA president and says what he is expecting from the second Sulayem office.
Carlos Sainz sen. Will not be a new FIA president. The Spaniard withdrew his candidacy yesterday and explained that he would not stand for election against incumbent Mohammed Bin Sulayem. This basically the re -election of the Emirati in December, because there is currently no opponent and is also unlikely.
For George Russell, the head of the driver association GPDA, this message is extremely a shame: “Carlos Sainz sen. Is someone who enjoys a lot of respect in motorsport,” says the Brit and is convinced: “He would have been a great choice and someone who could lead this area very well.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc would also have approved if the father of his former teammate had made it available. “I think that he has a lot of common sense and it would have been good to see him in this process,” he says.
But: “Apparently there were reasons that have moved him that it is not the right time for it now,” says the Monegasse without knowing the Spaniard’s exact motives.
In his message, Sainz had only described the current circumstances as “not ideal” and had also dealt with his commitment to the Dakar rally, which he did not want to impair.
But it would probably have become politically difficult. Because recently Sulayem received a letter of support that had been signed by 36 member associations – the majority of this from America.
Russell: FIA and drivers fight too often
An opposite candidate might be on a lost post anyway, so that nobody currently wants to face Sulayem. Asked if he finds it questionable that it seems so difficult to find a candidate, Russell replies: “Yes, that’s a legitimate question.”
“You could also ask: Who wants to do this job at all? This is a lot of work that you probably only take out of love for sport. I don’t think it was ever easy to fill this position. I can’t say much more about it either.”
This means that he and his driver colleagues will probably have to make do with Sulayem for four years, with whom there have recently been friction and who is not undisputed in the Formula 1 camp. “At the moment it sometimes feels more like the driver, Formula 1 and the FIA fight against each other, and that is not ideal,” says Russell about the current mood.
What Russell would like from the second term
If Sulayem is re-elected what it looks like, the Mercedes pilot hopes that “the exchange between us drivers and the FIA will be better. I would like more transparency and a more open dialogue so that we all pull together together.”
Russell also emphasizes that he has noticed “small positive changes” in the past few months. “And I very much hope that this development continues – especially if the president is re -elected,” he says. “The past few weeks and months are in the right direction, but it has to go on like this.”
What Russell would also like: that the FIA would have a greater willingness to cooperate, on topics that are important to the drivers. Because: “So far I have not yet found a big difference.”
“This is something that we definitely have to address when the right moment is there,” he emphasizes. “If Mohammed is re -elected, we will undoubtedly all sit down with him and see that we are all on the same side.”