The recently dismissed FIA race steward, Tim Mayer, has issued a harsh criticism of Formula One's governing body and the management of its president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, leaving the FIA once again grappling with public scrutiny. Mayer, who served as a race steward for 15 years, revealed in an interview with the BBC that he was sacked via text message on Tuesday. He also claimed that Ben Sulayem had interfered in the decision-making process of the stewards, who are meant to operate independently.
“There are instances where he has directly made his opinions known, not to the stewards directly, but through his staff,” Mayer said, adding that the organization is losing so many personnel that they are “literally running out of people to fill these roles”. Earlier this month, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association expressed their frustration and loss of confidence in the FIA and Ben Sulayem, after their collective criticism in a public statement went unanswered. One of the issues they wanted to address was the crackdown on punishing drivers for swearing, which Mayer confirmed came directly from Ben Sulayem.
“His stance that drivers should be penalized for swearing is his view, and the subsequent actions reflect that,” Mayer stated. “Part of the stewards' role is to enforce the FIA's rules. Technically, bad language is prohibited, so it's not unjust. Whether it's wise to pursue drivers for mild swearing is another question.” The drivers strongly feel this is a waste of time and resources, and they have concerns about how the fines collected from them are spent, but their request for transparency has yet to be addressed.
Since Ben Sulayem took charge of the FIA in December 2021, the organization has faced numerous controversies and seen a significant exodus of senior officials. Alongside Mayer, Janette Tan, the deputy Formula 2 race director, also left the FIA this week. Niels Wittich, the former F1 race director, reportedly departed before the Las Vegas GP, as did Paoli Basarri, the FIA compliance officer, within the same two-week period. In the past 12 months, the chief executive, Natalie Robyn, the sporting director, Steve Nielsen, the technical director, Tim Goss, and the head of the FIA commission for women, Deborah Mayer, have all moved on.
Mayer expressed his surprise at Tan’s departure, calling her “the epitome of the type of person we want working for the FIA, the best of the next generation of race directors”. He added, “They’re not doing themselves any favors. They are literally running out of people to do those jobs.” Mayer believes he was sacked due to “hurt feelings on the part of the president”. After a fan invasion at the US GP resulted in a fine, Mayer had overseen a review of the decision on behalf of the race promoters. He was immediately removed from the FIA stewarding panel, which he strongly denied as a conflict of interest.
“Despite the matter being resolved quietly and amicably, he’s [Ben Sulayem] still upset and decided to fire me. After 15 years of volunteering, my time as a steward, a decade teaching other stewards, and hundreds of hours volunteering in other roles, I received a text from one of his assistants,” Mayer recounted. “There was no intention of causing issues with the FIA, and I will continue as the sporting organiser of the three US grands prix. This was such a minor point that it is baffling that anyone would take such offense.” The FIA has been contacted for comment.
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