Former F1 driver speaks out against FIA president 'controversy'

Timo Glock has taken aim at FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, lamenting the extent of "controversy" he has caused at the helm of the motorsport governing body.

The former Jordan, Toyota and Virgin/Marussia driver argued the 63-year-old is "not doing himself any favours" amid the persistent dissatisfaction with his leadership.

Motorsport UK Chairman David Richards, who is a former team principal in both F1 and WRC, has been a particularly outspoken critic of late and there have been lingering tensions between Ben Sulayem and F1 drivers since he used the media as a mouthpiece to communicate his stance on swearing, amongst other issues, at the back end of last season.

After the fallout over Max Verstappen's penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Drivers' Association's (GPDA) publishing of a statement on social media calling out Ben Sulayem, the animosity quietened over the winter, until the introduction of the contentious Appendix B of the FIA's International Sporting Code (ISC) earlier this year brought the strained relations back into the limelight.

WRC drivers took part in a media blackout after Adrien Fourmaux was fined for swearing and Verstappen limited his answers after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following his five-second time penalty, not wishing to speak out against the governing body, something that is also punishable by the new stewards' guidelines.

To Glock, such developments are damaging for motorsport and inhibit the raw expression that makes sport so compelling.

"I have rarely seen a president who has caused so much controversy," he told Sky Sports Germany. "It's not good for the sport.

"In the end, you want to see emotions, including the fans. He's not doing himself any favours in his position."

Comparison to DTM

Glock likened Verstappen's situation at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to his time racing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).

Nonetheless, the 43-year-old maintained a penalty was the correct decision as the Dutchman would not have been able to make the corner.

"In the DTM, we were also threatened with a hefty fine if we showed inappropriate emotions, so you have to think carefully about what you say," Glock added.

"He disagreed with the decision, but I think it was the right one in the end.

"He wouldn't have been able to make the turn the way he should have, and the way he accelerated after the corner was a clear five-second penalty for the race stewards."