FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem says changes won’t be made to stop ‘good kid’ Red Bull’s dominance – rezal404
Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok was full of praise for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after he picked up his seventh win in nine races this season at the Austrian Grand Prix. You can listen to the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast now.
Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok was full of praise for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after he picked up his seventh win in nine races this season at the Austrian Grand Prix. You can listen to the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast now.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem says Red Bull will not be punished for their current dominance in Formula 1.
Red Bull have won all nine races this season going into this weekend’s British Grand Prix – live on Sky Sports – with Max Verstappen 81 points clear of team-mate Sergio Perez.
The Dutchman has won the last four events and victory for Red Bull at Silverstone will see them equal to the record of 11 for the most consecutive wins by a team, which was set by McLaren in 1988.
Asked if the FIA needs to address Red Bull’s dominance, Ben Sulayem said: “If we go about what’s good and bad we’ll open the door. I mean, what’s it good for Mercedes? fair enough?
“It is (Verstappen’s) time, it’s Red Bull’s time. What do we do … punish the good kid? No, let’s go and make the other teams good. Nobody’s stopping the other teams from being better. We cannot punish people for being better, for trying harder. That’s unfair.”
Max Verstappen was heard arguing on the team radio for a final pit stop to take the fastest lap at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Ben Sulayem defends super license system for new F1 drivers
As F1 approaches the middle of its 2023 campaign, the driver market will become a major talking point.
Last year, IndyCar driver Colton Herta was denied a seat on the grid, after talks to join AlphaTauri, as he did not have enough super license points.
In order to race in F1, a driver must have at least 40 super license points, which can be gained through racing in other motorsport series such as Formula 2, Formula 3, IndyCar, touring cars and other championships.
Colton Herta was close to joining AlphaTauri last year but was not given an exemption to join F1 as he did not have enough super license points
The most points are handed out in Formula 2, with IndyCar next in the ladder, which some feel is not right after Herta was unable to secure a place in F1.
“We look at it from the safety side, and we look at the credibility and we look at the rules. If we see the rules are no good, we cannot break them. We grow and we improve them,” explained Ben Sulayem.
“We evolve with the demand and the changes of the world. If we see that we need to have change the points, then we will look into something. But we cannot just change it and make a special exemption because if something happens to anyone, it is always the FIA is responsible.
“I am here to protect and serve, and if our system needs to be improved, and we think it is the right thing, then we improve it.”
Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater explains why Formula One moguls paid a visit to Downing Street this week.
Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule
ThursdayJuly 6th
6pm: The F1 Show
FridayJuly 7th
8:40am: F3 practice
10am: F2 practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts 12:30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3:40pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts 4pm)
SaturdayJuly 8th
9:15am: F3 Sprint
11:15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts 11:30am)
1:10pm: F2 Sprint
2:15pm: British GP qualifying build-up
3pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING
5pm: Ted’s qualifying notebook
sunday july 9
8:10am: F3 feature race
9:50am: F2 feature race
11:50 am: Porsche Super Cup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Checkered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook
Next on the F1 calendar is the big one, Silverstone. Don’t miss the British GP live on Sky Sports from July 7-9.
