“BOOOOO!!!”
That deafening sound echoed through the O2 Arena during the F1-75 event as soon as the FIA was mentioned. Teams exchanged awkward glances, drivers tried to keep a straight face, and poor Laura Winter did her best to stay composed on stage. But honestly? No one was surprised. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pqLA6gJh1s
F1 fans have had it with the FIA, and not without reason. We’ve watched them fumble with race decisions, play favourites, contradict their own rulebook, and avoid accountability at every turn. The frustration is so universal it’s basically a personality trait among F1 fans.
For context: the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) is the governing body of motorsport. They write the rules, hand out sanctions, and are supposed to keep the sport fair and safe. In theory. But if they’re meant to uphold integrity and improve the show for fans… why do we all hate them so much?
Let’s break it down.
Let’s start with the FIA’s biggest blunders. There have been quite a few pooches screwed in that race control room, so here are just a few of their greatest screw-ups:
To start with the biggest one, Abu Dhabi 2021 (the race that broke Twitter). Final race of the season. World Championship on the line. Hamilton dominating. Then? Chaos. After a late-race safety car, then-race director Michael Masi made a highly controversial decision to restart the race, but only let certain lapped cars unlap themselves, completely ignoring the written rules. Verstappen, with fresher tyres, overtook Hamilton and took the title.
The FIA’s response? Fire Masi and sweep it under the rug. No apology. No accountability. Just another Tuesday in FIA-land.
The FIA’s interpretation of rules is like a magic 8-ball, shake it and see what happens. One week, a driver gets a 5-second penalty for moving under braking. The next, someone else does the same thing and walks away scot-free. This inconsistency has led to accusations of bias, especially when it comes to high-profile drivers like Verstappen, who some fans feel gets either favoured or unfairly targeted depending on the weekend.
It’s not just annoying, it changes races. It affects championship outcomes. And it makes fans (and teams!) lose trust in the system entirely.
The FIA constantly struggles between making F1 safe and making it entertaining. Too often, they choose the latter, and sometimes, it’s borderline dangerous. Take Suzuka 2022. Pierre Gasly was flying at over 200km/h in poor visibility when he came terrifyingly close to a recovery tractor on track. Just two meters from a repeat of the tragedy that killed Jules Bianchi in the same place in 2014.
Fans were furious. Drivers were horrified. And the FIA? Slow to react, again. https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/73/1200×712/4330250.jpg
More recently, the FIA’s been handing out fines like candy — including thousands of euros for drivers swearing during interviews. Seriously? These athletes are racing wheel-to-wheel at 300km/h, dealing with extreme G-forces, intense strategy, and split-second decisions — and now they’re supposed to watch their language, too?
Worse, there’s no transparency around where the money goes. Unlike the NFL, where fines often go to charity, F1 fans have no idea whether these fines fund safety research or Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s wife’s BBL.
Speaking of MBS… I could write a whole article about Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the current FIA President, and maybe I will. But for now, let’s just say that under his leadership, the FIA has only become more chaotic, less transparent, and more focused on power than progress.
He promised reform. We got PR disasters. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1024/cpsprodpb/5cd0/live/7351f740-d974-11ef-a5c8-1da73bd59591.jpg
I mean, even the FIA’s own people are jumping ship! On April 10, 2025, Robert Reid — the FIA’s Deputy President for Sport, resigned. That’s right, the second-in-command walked out, citing a “fundamental breakdown in governance standards” and “critical decisions being made without due process.” Translation? The FIA is a mess, and even the people running it know it. When one of the top dogs admits defeat and chooses to leave rather than try to fix it from within, you know things are bad.
Credit where it’s due, though: it’s the first time we’ve seen any kind of accountability from inside the FIA. https://sportklub.n1info.rs/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10/1744286880-Robert-Reid-Mohammed-Ben-Sulayem-scaled-e1744286980258-750×422.jpg
Let’s be honest, motorsport needs regulation. Without the FIA (or something like it), F1 would be chaos: unsafe, unfair, and probably fatal. But regulation without competence is just control. And right now, what the FIA lacks most is credibility.
The upcoming FIA presidential elections could be a turning point. But so far, Mohammed Ben Sulayem stands unopposed.
Where are you, Susie Wolff?!
Until the FIA gets serious about accountability, consistency, and putting the sport (and its fans) first, those boos aren’t going anywhere. In fact, they might just get louder than the cars.
See you Trackside!
Trackside Talk 
