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Albon critical of FIA penalties: 'No sport has such excessive control'
Over the past year, the FIA has been a major topic of conversation on several occasions, and ahead of the new Formula 1 season, there is now a lot of talk about the conduct of the governing body and its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The subject of the new penalties for alleged misconduct that has been a huge taking point was brought up to Williams driver Alexander Albon.
Following the presentation of the FW47 for 2025, Albon, Carlos Sainz and team boss James Vowles spoke to selected media, including GPblog. There, Albon was asked whether he has already started saving for the mammoth fines that can be handed out from this year onwards when F1 drivers use curse words, and - on a more serious note - whether he is fed up with the interference of the governing body.
Albon: "We don't want this excessive control over our own opinions"
"It's a tricky question," Albon begins. "Of course, I think we deserve our say in our own thing. Especially, I don't think we don't want this excessive control over our own opinions. I don't think any sport has that." The Williams driver clearly does not want to say more about it, as he added: "Great, we go to the next question!"
It is not yet clear whether the drivers will come up with a collective response to the FIA's new penalty system on behalf of the Grand Prix Driver's Association (GPDA). President Alexander Wurz said the drivers did not have time to respond, but that the issue would be discussed. He stressed he was not a fan of swearing, but that drivers should be able to remain themselves.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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