FIA President in grassroots push: "F1 is not everything!"

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said Formula 1 "is not everything", as he seeks to pay greater attention to motorsport's grassroots.

As motorsport's global governing body, the FIA consists of hundreds of member organisations that help the FIA to organise racing events of varying size and scale.

In addition to motorsport, the FIA also represents the interest of generalist motoring organisations, many of whom are more concerned with road travel than competition.

Though F1 is undoubtedly the most recognisable of all the motor racing series run under the FIA's auspices, Ben Sulayem was at pains to point out that he would seek to represent every member organisation, regardless of size or influence.

"Formula 1 is the pinnacle, but it's not everything," Ben Sulayem told Formula.hu.

"When we consider everyone, we have over 230 member organisations from around 150-160 countries.

"We need to pay attention to everyone because, for them, a small go-kart track is as important as [Yas Marina] or Silverstone or the Hungaroring.

"The essence is how they can develop and progress. F1 doesn't interest them, it's irrelevant to them. We need to listen to them, serve them and help them."

Ben Sulayem – "We need to meet our members' needs"

Unlike his immediate predecessors Jean Todt, Max Mosley and Jean-Marie Balestre, Ben Sulayem has served as the President of a national motoring federation – the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE – and said his experience as a federation chief has shaped his desire to better serve the FIA’s members, using an unusual analogy to emphasise his point.

"It's like if I invite you for dinner, and you say you want a cheeseburger because you like it, but I give you a $200 steak, saying it's better, more special," said Ben Sulayem.

"But it doesn't interest you because you want a cheeseburger; that's what you need, and that's how I help you by giving it to you.

"Or I say, 'here's a sports car, use it in the desert'. You can't use it; that's not what you need; you need an SUV that costs one-tenth of the price.

"So we need to pay attention to our members, listen to them and meet their needs. That's my mission.

"You'd be surprised how little they demand, because this service culture is still new to them since the previous three FIA presidents didn't come from member organisations."