Ben Sulayem ruling FIA with an iron fist can have its advantages

Toto Wolff says Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s FIA presidency of “ruling with an iron fist” has had “its advantages” to assert two key topics the Mercedes boss feels he has got right within Formula 1.

The FIA president and Mercedes chief have clashed over how the governing body has overseen tighter restrictions over a ‘swearing ban’ and a push for an 11th F1 team since Ben Sulayem became president at the end of 2021, but it appears tensions have reduced in recent months.

“You can’t deny that he’s ruling with an iron fist,” Wolff told selected Austrian media during the Austrian GP weekend last month. “He doesn’t let anyone tell him what to do. That can have its advantages.”

The most recent matter in the spotlight has been the FIA’s ‘swearing ban’ which was criticised heavily upon introduction, until the governing body announced revisions to the rules in Appendix B of the International Sporting Code in April, which outlines restrictions on swearing.

Fines have been reduced from €10,000 to €5000 and stewards can suspend penalties for first-time offenders, while exceptions were introduced for swearing in uncontrolled environments, such as over team radio.

Wolff overall has supported the ‘swearing ban’ as he felt drivers in F1 needed to consider their status as role models to young drivers and fans.

“I think his stance on swearing is right,” Wolff said, referring to Ben Sulayem. “Many of the drivers who scream on the radio don’t speak English as their first language. If a French or Italian driver says ‘go and fuck yourself’ on the radio and thinks it’s normal, it’s probably because he’s heard it that way since his karting days. But if you translate it literally into his native language, it can actually shock him.

“I think kids need to learn not to insult others on the radio. That engineer [on the radio to the driver] has a family at home who are very proud that their father or husband is working with a Formula 1 driver.

“If the driver lashes out at him like that, it’s not good – and unfortunately, that already happens in junior categories.”

Wolff speaks from personal experience, as his son Jack now races in karting, with drivers influenced by what happens in F1: “The eight-, nine-, 10-year-olds talk like the pros. They’re obviously their role models, I think it’s good that the president is taking a strong stance on this.”

The Mercedes boss added: “You can debate where to draw the line between swearing and insulting. During a race, we’re also a dumping ground for the drivers. They’re going 300kph, wheel to wheel, physically and mentally on the edge, and then we tell them to be polite. But that’s not the point.

Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group, Toto Wolff, Mercedes, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, Zak Brown, McLaren Chief Executive Officer

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

“It’s fine if they vent. What’s not fine is when it turns into personal abuse. That’s where a firm line is drawn.”

The other topic Wolff previously hadn’t seen eye-to-eye with the FIA president over was his push for Andretti to join the F1 grid as an 11th team, but his stance did soften once the project was tied to Cadillac’s manufacturer backing, with the team set to join the championship in 2026.

Wolff conceded that Ben Sulayem “probably got it right with the 11th team,” despite reservations over the value the Andretti-led plan would deliver to F1 – which ultimately sank when FOM rejected the application and led to the Cadillac-headed revised project to get the green light from all parties.

A Cadillac works team, Wolff believes, “is good for the sport. So something positive came out of it,” amid Ben Sulayem’s push for an 11th team on the F1 grid.