In the press conference for the Las Vegas GP, George Russell, president of the GPDA, spoke on behalf of all drivers, addressing recent FIA decisions that have left many puzzled. According to the British driver, recent events further demonstrate the FIA’s lack of transparency toward the drivers.
Under scrutiny is the recent dismissal of race director Niels Wittich, with only three races remaining in the championship. Reportedly, the drivers were not informed of this decision and continue to be kept in the dark, despite having recently penned an open letter to the FIA via social media.
“Frankly, I’m not sure the FIA is listening to us. We’ve requested some changes, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve done anything or taken our input seriously. I’m starting to think that the president and the entire FIA don’t fully understand how we feel and what we genuinely want to achieve,” George Russell explained ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
George Russell criticizes: “Wittich’s dismissal and fines? We know nothing”
“I think if we drivers felt we were being heard and if some of the changes we’ve proposed were implemented, our trust might grow. We’re doing this solely for the good of the sport, and the FIA should understand that.”
“Often, we drivers are the last to find out about FIA decisions. When these decisions directly affect us, it would be nice if they considered our input. Now, they’ve decided to fire a race director, and of course, we knew nothing about it. That’s very strange,” the Briton added.
He also touched on the issue of fines. “It’s still unclear what happens to the money we pay for fines. We’ve repeatedly asked for transparency on this, but we haven’t received any answers. We even wrote a public letter on social media, and the FIA hasn’t responded. It’s all very frustrating,” concluded the Mercedes driver, number 63.
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