(Reuters) – World rally drivers issued a joint statement on Monday condemning the governing body’s crackdown on swearing and seeking talks with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to help find an “urgent solution”.
The statement came after Hyundai’s French driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined 10,000 euros ($10,469), with a further 20,000 suspended, for swearing in a television interview at the end of this month’s Rally Sweden.
The fine was the first since amendments to the sporting code in January set out stiff sanctions for drivers who break the rules concerning conduct, including bad language.
The drivers and co-drivers, some not full-time professionals, said they had been inspired by Formula One colleagues to express a joint opinion as the World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA).
“In recent months … there has been an alarming increase in the severity of the sanctions imposed for minor, isolated and unintentional language lapses,” they added. “This has reached an unacceptable level.”
The drivers said common colloquialism was not equal to genuine insult or act of aggression and non-native speakers might not be aware of meaning.
“The exorbitant fines are vastly disproportionate to the average income and budget in rallying,” they added.
“We are also concerned with the public impression these excessive sums create in the minds of fans, suggesting this is an industry where money doesn’t matter.”
The statement said there was a “fundamental question” of where the money was going, with a lack of transparency undermining confidence in the system.
“We call for a direct communication and engagement between the FIA and President and WoRDA members to find a mutually agreeable and urgent solution.”
Formula One drivers, who hit out at Ben Sulayem last November in a GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) statement, face bigger fines.
Four-times world champion Max Verstappen was punished for his language in a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix last September.
($1 = 0.9552 euros)
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)
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