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FIA president sees nothing in diversity quotas: 'People have to earn their place'
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem does not think it is necessary to introduce diversity quotas for officials of the governing body. He stressed that people should earn their positions purely on merit.
FIA president sees nothing in diversity quotas
At the FIA Officials Summit in Madrid, Ben Sulayem explained various of the governing body's plans, including the use of multiple race directors. The subject of diversity was also raised: how is the FIA committed to this?
"The solution is in training; the solution is bringing people in. Is it about diversity? No. We talk about diversity, and we say, they say, ‘You bring this from this country or this woman or something like that.’ That’s an insult."
He continued, "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.”
Ben Sulayem wants the best for the FIA, regardless of diversity quotes. “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.'"
He concluded, “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."
This article was written in collaboration with Savannah Lenz.
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