George Russell has called for “stability” within the FIA after respected deputy president Robert Reid stepped down on the eve of the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Reid had held his position within the motorsport governing body since 2021, but had grown exasperated with where things were heading under controversial president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“I took on this role to deliver greater transparency, stronger governance, and more collaborative leadership,” Reid wrote in a statement.
“Over time, those principles have been increasingly set aside and I can no longer, in good faith, remain part of a system that no longer reflects them.”
Russell, a Director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and one of many who have criticised Ben Sulayem’s leadership of the FIA, isn’t surprised by this latest development.
“Unfortunately, I think every time we hear some news from that side of the sport, it’s not really a big surprise,” he told select media, including Motorsport Week on Thursday.
“So it’s clearly a real shame to see, and somebody who’s very well respected within the sport and has been there for so long, as we keep saying, it’s like, ‘what’s next?’
“So, yeah, it’s a shame to see, and hopefully we get more stability sooner rather than later.”
F1 drivers have little impact with the FIA – Russell
Russell revealed that Reid notified the drivers of his decision this morning, in tandem with the announcement.
“He sent a letter to the drivers just explaining his decision, we’ve yet to talk with him,” Russell said.
“Obviously it was news to us this morning, that’s at least when I found out about the news, and it was sort of shared among the drivers.”
Amid the F1 drivers’ ongoing disputes with the FIA president, Ben Sulayem told Autosport last year that matters within the governing body are “none of their business.”
Any movement from Russell and his peers to get transparency regarding decision-making at the FIA has been met with opposition.
Following Reid’s departure, an exasperated Russell conceded that the drivers’ collective voice isn’t being heard.
“Ultimately, it’s getting to a point now where these things are happening so often, and as drivers, we were trying to get involved in the past, we didn’t really make much headway, and things seem to continuously be going in an unstable direction.
“So I’ve got to be honest, we’re getting to a point now where our actions are having little impact with those guys, and we’ve got to trust the teams and F1 to work with the FIA, to come to a common ground.
“If we can help, we want to be there, but often it just seems like things are going in their own direction.”
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