The International Automobile Federation (FIA) made a drastic decision regarding the foul language that pilots can use when using the microphone with which they communicate with their equipment.
The announcement consists in the modification of this standard, which will no longer represent a fine of 10,000 euros ($ 11,180), but 5,000 euros. This, without a doubt, favors the show, taking into account that there is more likely that the pilots are more relaxed and quiet not only on the track, but also in the interviews and press wheels in which they participate.
This decision also responds to the different criticisms that have expressed Rallies pilots. For example, at the end of February, “exorbitant fines” were denounced after the French pilot Adrien Fourmaux was sanctioned with 10,000 euros during the Sweden rally for having lamented in a considered rude manner after making a pilot error.
In that same month, the F1 pilot Carlos Sainz (from the Williams team) questioned the hard line of the FIA about it. The Spanish said that, although it is reasonable to avoid offensive words in public contexts such as a press conference, the situation changes in full competition. “I think you can't be too hard with this kind of thing, because you can't understand pressure, adrenaline and how we feel in the car when you open the radio,” he explained.
Interestingly, this decision is contradictory if the statements of the president of the FIA, Emiratí Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who at the end of last year had promised stronger sanctions and stricter rules for the pilots are taken into account.
The election will take place on December 12 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In it, the members of the FIA Assembly will vote: representatives of Automobile Clubs and National Federations, both of the sports area and mobility (tourism, road safety, etc.).
The winner will be the one who obtains the majority of votes, either in the first or second round. The votes are completely secret, and each member has the right to a certain number of votes, according to their influence on the FIA.
The main candidate who could face Ben Sulayem is the former pilot Carlos Sainz, father of the current Formula 1 pilot of the Williams team, also called Carlos Sainz.
Taking into account the strong criticisms received by the current president of the FIA - especially for his logistics management in the United Kingdom Motorsports, where he was threatened with demands for the deterioration of the show -, it is clear that the change in a sanction will not be a sufficient measure to ensure his re -election for another four years.
