In the pinnacle of motorsport, Sir Lewis Hamilton will start his 16th year of a glorious ride. He has been engaged with regulating bodies on numerous occasions during his long career. And now again the FIA president Mohammad Ben Sulayem, has recently made a sly jab at the seven-time champion.

Following an upgrade to the International Sporting Code in December, the FIA introduced new rules last year that require F1 drivers to obtain the sport’s governing body’s written consent before making “political, religious, or personal statements” during the upcoming season. Drivers who make such claims will henceforth break the regulations unless the FIA gives its written consent. Lewis Hamilton has consistently been one of the most outspoken of those drivers.

Citing that the British driver should put driving first and refrain from protests. In a recent interview, as quoted by Sportstar, the FIA president issued this advice and said, “You can use sport for peace reasons but one thing we do not want is to have the FIA as a platform for private personal agenda. We will divert from the sport. What does the driver do best? Driving. They are so good at it, and they make the business, they make the show, they are the stars. Nobody is stopping them.” 

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The FIA will be stern this time and ensure that the standards put in place are observed. Ben Sulayem has issued a statement in which he expresses his desire for teams to adhere to and fully respect the budget limitations.

Following Lewis Hamilton’s warning, Ben Sulayem has some strict advice for the F1 teams

The news broke last year that Red Bull and Aston Martin had both been found guilty of violating the Budget Cap Restrictions. Although the Silverstone-based team only flagged a procedural violation, Red Bull was involved in a far more widespread controversy as they spent $2M more than the budget limit. The way the governing body handled the situation was viewed as a crucial test for the effectiveness of the budget cap.

In the end, the majority of teams thought it was a good compromise. Using the cost cap saga as an example, Ben Sulayem is confident that the teams will adhere to the laws and continue to show their complete respect for them.

Speaking to the journalists during the Dakar Rally, Sulayem said, “It’s not an easy task to do the equivalent of technology or the Balance of Performance,” he said. “The one thing that I can say, and I can see is that it’s working and we have to police it, is the cost cap.”I was very clear about what happened with Red Bull and Aston Martin.” 

The FIA president gave a high alert to the teams for the future and said, “I hope nobody can use the cost cap and try to cover up things. The teams now are very clear that the FIA is there as the governing body.”

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Lewis Hamilton is a man of virtues, as we all know, and Ben Sulayem has made it clear in recent pronouncements that he will not tolerate anyone breaking the law. In light of all of this, do you think Hamilton’s personality can alter as a result of the rule changes?