Horner backs FIA president after backlash from drivers: 'He's right!'

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Christian Horner backs Mohammed Ben Sulayem after criticism from drivers
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  • Ludo van Denderen

Mohammed Ben Sulayem is an outspoken advocate of it: An F1 driver is for driving a race car, and shouldn't put their nose into the regulations. According to the FIA president, that's the decision of his governing body. Against the majority of drivers, Christian Horner actually agrees with the president. 

There has recently been friction between the 20 F1 drivers and the FIA - Ben Sulayem in particular - for some time. The drivers want the president and his organisation to be more open in their decisions. The GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association) would like to have more of a say in the sport that they participate in. The Emirati said that it was 'totally none of their business" how the FIA is run.

Horner: 'We sign the dotted line to abide by his regs'

When asked, Horner said that he agrees with Ben Sulayem's point of view. "Well, he's absolutely right. It's down to the FIA, being the regulator of the sport, to write the regulations and police the regulations. And when you sign up for the championship at the start of the year, you sign on the dotted line to abide by those regs," he explained to GPblog and others.

He continued: "So it's not the team's job to write regulations, and nor should it be because it'd be too much of a conflict of interest in terms of what the intention of those regulations was. So he's absolutely right that it is the FIA to police and regulate the sport." 

Last Friday, it was announced that Ben Sulayem will have even more power in the FIA. See the full story here. 

This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon

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