Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has taken aim at FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over his choice of words when offering to help Aston Martin keep Fernando Alonso in Formula 1, arguing that the governing body should have no role in deciding which teams or drivers are entitled to succeed.
Ben Sulayem caused a stir ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix when he said it was “not acceptable” to see two-time world champion Alonso struggling so badly with Aston Martin.
With the Spaniard’s contract expiring at the end of 2026 and retirement or a move elsewhere both the subject of speculation, the FIA president suggested he was prepared to intervene.
“I will be speaking to him. I said to him, I saw him very sad, and I said, ‘Fernando, I understand, it’s not acceptable that you are coming to your own country and now after two times a world champion…’”
Ben Sulayem also revealed that the FIA had already taken steps relating to Aston Martin’s engine development opportunities and invited Alonso to explain what he wanted the governing body to do to improve the situation.
The FIA subsequently clarified that the president’s comments referred to the additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) system.
For Steiner, however, the language used by Ben Sulayem was the bigger problem.
‘Nobody deserves anything’
Appearing on The Red Flags Podcast, the outspoken Italian took particular exception to the suggestion that Alonso somehow deserved to be protected from an uncompetitive Aston Martin.
“Nobody deserves to be there or be anywhere. Not only in Formula 1. You need to work to be there. You need to want to be there, but not deserve it,” Steiner argued.
“What does deserve mean? Nobody deserves anything, in my opinion, in a sport, in life is something different. To say that Aston Martin needs to figure that out, that’s their problem. That is not the federation’s problem.”
It is a characteristically blunt Steiner assessment, and his argument cuts directly across the idea that a driver’s status or past achievements should trigger special treatment from the sport’s governing authority.
Alonso’s predicament is certainly unusual. A two-time world champion is enduring one of the most difficult seasons of his career, while Aston Martin’s much-anticipated resurgence under its new technical structure has so far failed to materialise.
But Steiner’s point is that the responsibility for fixing that situation belongs firmly with the team — not the FIA.
‘Cadillac can help themselves’
Steiner then widened his criticism beyond Aston Martin, pointing to Cadillac as an example of another team enduring a difficult debut season without receiving the same apparent consideration.
Cadillac joined the grid as F1’s 11th team in 2026 but remains without a point, giving Steiner an obvious counter-example to the notion that struggling outfits should expect intervention from the governing body.
“So what should Cadillac say? Oh, we deserve to be better. We need some help,” he continued.
“They need a lot of help, by the way, a lot more than Aston Martin, because Aston Martin can help themselves and they will help themselves.”
That last distinction is central to Steiner’s argument. Aston Martin, unlike a brand-new entrant still finding its feet, has the resources and infrastructure to address its own competitive problems.
And while Ben Sulayem’s intervention may have been motivated by a desire to see one of F1’s biggest names remain competitive, Steiner believes the FIA president’s comments blurred an important line: the governing body sets the framework, while teams are responsible for what they do within it.
For Alonso, the question of whether he remains in Formula 1 ultimately remains a personal and contractual decision.
For Steiner, meanwhile, there should be no question of anyone being handed a sporting lifeline simply because of what they have achieved in the past.
Read also:
‘Not acceptable’: Ben Sulayem won’t let Alonso retire in misery
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