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Just in the past few days, the FIA, the body called upon to manage motorsports disciplines from a sporting and technical standpoint, has reiterated certain concepts that were previously nonexistent but with the presidency of Mohammed Ben Sulayem have become crucial. No driver will no longer be allowed to protest to stewards, gestures deemed offensive or swear words will no longer be accepted, and neither can the sport be used as a sounding board for political, religious or intimate matters. In one fell swoop at this beginning of 2025, all the chances that, especially F1 drivers, thought they had in terms of dialogue with the federation have thus been wiped out.
In a sort of "hit one to educate a hundred" attitude, the top brass have chosen the hard line by taking the top category as an example but obviously without sparing the less prominent series. In fact, punishments will be heavy for everyone in a range from 10 thousand to 30 thousand euros for any kind of comment deemed inappropriate. If, however, one races in the Circus, the range is between 40 thousand and 120 thousand euros.
An intransigent direction, to say the least, that taken by the International Federation which, however, that is not surprising given that already in 2024 the foundations were laid for a sometimes excessive severity. Max Verstappen for talking about a "fucked-up car" was given two days of community service to learn how to behave, while in the WRC Sébastien Ogier paid 30 thousand euros for his outburst against the race direction during the Rally of Greece.
Staying in the area of countersteering, just this Sunday in Monte Carlo an equally questionable episode occurred. At the end of the event, when by then all the drivers had returned to the Principality to celebrate and entertain the public, Oliver Solberg arrived at the iconic Fairmont corner and start to drift his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. But while the fans rightly appreciated and applauded, the same could not be said of the FIA, which accused him of breaking Article 12.18, which prohibits any "show" except in established areas, and added as much as five minutes to the time marked at the end of the stage.
Rules are rules and as such must be respected, but the risk in this way is to plaster an already quite mummified environment where any statement is sweetened and fed by press officers, where the protagonists are always holed up in their motorhomes and where any contact with the fans is reduced to the bare bones.
At least for now, but in the future we will see, the two-wheel world run by Dorna gives the idea of being much freer. Just listen to the declarations whether they are hot off the press or made hours after the action, in SBK as in the better known MotoGP championship, they are not only more spontaneous, they are also more meaningful, especially if one takes today's F1 as a comparison where being evasive in every respect seems to be the flavour of the day.
Irrespective of the greater contact with fans and the celebrations after a victory, in some cases true skits, unthinkable in four-wheelers, the comparison with the officials is also more direct, just think of the complaints that in the last two World Championships have held sway about the way penalties are awarded and which have led to a change in the stewards' panel, while in top class of motor racing Ben Sulayem has simply hastened to shut up those drivers most critical of stewards by claiming that there are not enough funds in the Federation's coffers to devote an ad hoc salary to professional stewards, words that almost make one smile, considering the money that revolves in and around the Circus.
