Ben Hunt: Are the FIA playing keeping up with the Joneses?

Opinion: Following the latest from the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem about the governing body hampered with a lack of credit for its work, there is plenty to ponder about living in Formula 1's shadow

For the European Formula 1 races, the FIA motorhome sits next to the one which belongs to Formula One Management. To look at from the outside, they are identical but for the colour scheme. Inside however, there is one important difference.

The office belonging to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is rumoured to be bigger than that of his opposite number next door F1's CEO Stefano Domenicali. It comes by way of a removed partition for an assistants' office and, while on the surface it seems to be insignificant, maybe it is saying more about the relationship between F1 and the governing body than we realise.

This came to mind in his latest interview, when he was asked about solving track limits, and Ben Sulayem responded: "No, we will never get the credit. Impossible. We'll only get rubbish. That I know."

Firstly, the ridiculousness of track limits should have been resolved years ago given the GPS tracking and camera information F1 has at its disposal. And secondly, the delays on the track limits decision making could have been improved.

Having requested to see the FIA's Remote Operations Centre (ROC) that was opened in 2022, and is said to have grown considerably to assist the race stewards and director with their decision making, the wait goes on to be granted visit.

You could argue that a decent referee in sport goes unnoticed and allows the race or game to thrive and go unspoilt, so perhaps there is no need to pay recognition. Nonetheless, it is progress and that at least should be applauded.

However, there is one factor within the interview that is hard to overcome. And that is Ben Sulayem's instance to bring up money. The question about track limits soon evolves into a dialogue about seeking parity with F1's owners Liberty Media.

"When you look at it, everybody made money out of the FIA," he said. "Everyone except the FIA. Everyone gets the credit, except the FIA."

Now, whether this is credit or money, it seems like the latter is more of the focus here.

Then there is his comment that if he "could go back in time" that he would "just make sure that the FIA is two equals with them [Liberty]." He finally added: "I support them in what they are doing. The FIA works with them in the best [possible] way.

"But then, the regulations and the governance is the [work of the] FIA. And then, let everyone make money.

"Let the drivers have fun, race in a safe way and make money. And let the team principals make more money, [and] they are. But the FIA will never get the credit. Impossible."

And there it is again. Credit or money? Or both? It is all rather perplexing.

The message from the FIA is that they are working with Formula One Management and that their relationship is strong. Not in the same league as Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, but civil enough after a turbulent start to Ben Sulayem's tenure in December 2021 in the wake of Michael Masi's ill-handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Both Formula 1 and the FIA has changed a lot since then. Under Ben Sulayem's instruction, it has attempted to get its own house in order. The formation of the aforementioned ROC is one such example. As is a recently-launched a programme to train and mentor stewards and race directors.

Essentially, it has been doing what it needed to do to become a fully-functioning governing body that was run correctly. Some would call this doing its job, and for that, does it really deserve credit?

Meanwhile, Liberty Media has grown F1 globally, added new races, boosted profitability, worked on levels of sustainability and seen a sizeable demographic shift in fans.

If we look at the money, then in the first quarter of 2024, F1 revenue increased 45% to $553 million, up from $381 million in the same period in 2023.

Operating income in the same quarter increased nearly 289% to $136 million, up from $35 million in the previous year. And for the teams? Payouts to the competitors in the first quarter of 2024 increased 46% to $163 million. It can be argued all those figures are impressive and as a consequence, deserve some credit.

Therefore it is understandable that the FIA is peering over at its neighbours in the F1 paddock and being envious of its successes, wealth and praise. But as the old saying reminds us, it is never easy trying to 'keep up with the Joneses'.

However, one is a regulator, another is a promoter. They do different jobs and have different financial models. To use the idiom above, the Joneses are in a different league when it comes to spending.

Instead of chasing the money and recognition, it would be better to focus on continued improvement for the governing body.

Yes, pride might be hit, but the reality is it is simply impossible for the FIA to measure up against Liberty Media, so they should just stop trying to.