Mohammed Ben Sulayem (L) & Max Verstappen (R) (Images via Getty)
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the President of the FIA, responded to recent calls for permanent stewards for Formula 1 races by flipping the script on the drivers - including champion Max Verstappen. His retort to these requests was to make it an issue of funding - since it is the drivers who are requesting it, it is his viewpoint that they be the ones to provide the funds to pay for full-time steward salaries.
This is as compared to the part-time stewards who are currently employed by the FIA, who change from race to race. However, his statement on the matter was that the drivers would be unwilling to pay for it.
Ben Sulayem has been FIA President after taking over from Jean Todt at the end of the 2021 season. While Sulayem has faced his fair share of controversies since he took office, he has made it clear that this issue is something that is the drivers' responsibility more than the FIA's.
