Ben Sulayem reveals major plans for FIA F1 officiating in 2025

Saturday, 08 February 2025 at 08:30

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem outlined plans for a broader selection process for future FIA Formula 1 stewards, aiming to refresh the officiating pool with new personnel emerging from the Madrid summit.

The FIA revealed in a press release the launch of the second cycle of their High Performance Programme for Officials as they welcomed 12 new students into the program, six Race Directors and six Stewards.

Speaking to reporters during at the FIA Officials Summit at the Circuito de Madrid, Jarama on Friday, Ben Sulayem revealed: "Our selection (of stewards) should be broader. We should not be limited, and that is why tomorrow with the stewards, we will have new blood.

"It will give us a new selection that will sustain the business of motorsport," the Emirati added.

Ben Sulayem also addressed the matter of race directors, confirming that with Niels Wittich’s departure, new appointments will be made for 2025 and beyond, he said: "Who and how many is a question we will know soon, in the next few days.

"There will certainly be new blood and there will be more than one. That’s for sure. There have been people learning, there have been people working behind the scenes, all the time.

"You can't just throw someone into this big challenge," he insisted.

Ben Sulayem: It’s easy to blame the FIA

The FIA President also highlighted the financial and logistical challenges associated with stewarding,saying: "And then, you know, the teams can complain, the drivers can complain, but then they don’t want to pay for it.

"I’m being very, very honest and direct with you, this requires a lot of investment. It’s taken us more than two and a half years to get to where we are now. Do we have the results? We'll know the results when the season starts," confirmed Ben Sulayem.

The FIA chief also rejected the notion of implementing diversity quotas in FIA officiating, insisting that appointments should be made purely on merit.

"It’s very important," he said. "What would happen if the race director decided not to go or if he got sick? It’s the same as the FIA. If something happens to me tomorrow, the FIA will continue to function without me, so this has to be a system. It’s not about individuals."

Ben Sulayem called for constructive criticism rather than blame; he said: "There are a lot of mistakes, you know, and then you blame the FIA. It’s easy to blame the FIA. Why can't you be, as you said, productive in your criticism and say, how can we find a solution?"

Merit or diversity for FIA-appointed and trained F1 Race Stewards?

Expanding on his approach, he dismissed the idea of fulfilling diversity quotas for the sake of optics; he questioned: "But where is the solution? The solution is in training, the solution is bringing people in. Is it about diversity?

"No. We talk about diversity and we say, I’m sorry, but you know, they say, ‘you bring this from this country or this woman or something like that.’ That’s an insult.

"We don’t have women because we have to accept 30 per cent; we accept women based on their merit and credibility because they are good," he maintained.

Ben Sulatem continued: "We hire non-European people from other countries because they are good, they are trained, they have the passion to compete. Not because, oh, I have to have this colour, this religion.

"Then you won’t have a good FIA, a strong FIA. You will have a weak one because you won’t deliver what you promise. For us, it’s a big challenge," he concluded.

Ben Sulayem’s comments reaffirm the FIA’s commitment to impartiality in officiating, more balanced and impartial officiating with an ongoing effort to further professionalise F1 race direction ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season.