The events of the Qatar GP have stuck with Eddie Jordan, who urged FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – even if he now bans him – to “get a grip” of the governing body.

The Qatar GP – F1 2024’s penultimate round – was the second race under the stewardship of new F1 race director Rui Marques, who was also on F2 duties that race weekend amid a string of high-profile FIA exits which included former F1 race director Niels Wittich, long-serving F1 steward Tim Mayer and Marques’ proposed F2 replacement Jannete Tan.

Eddie Jordan accepts F1 ban threat with FIA president message

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

And it was a race weekend which sparked debate with a couple of key incidents after a wing mirror which made a bid for freedom was not retrieved, while Lando Norris was given a 10-second stop/go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags, on an evening where McLaren were bidding to secure the Constructors’ title.

This race was a focus for debate on a recent Formula For Success podcast episode, with 13-time race winner David Coulthard saying: “A lot of people were confused, frustrated, just generally left feeling another Grand Prix where we don’t quite understand the penalties at play.”

He added that Norris’ penalty didn’t “feel right” to him.

And Jordan – believing he was taking a great risk in doing so – told FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to look at what happened in Qatar and take action.

“What is going on with the FIA?” Jordan said.

“Look, I reach out to you, I actually really do like you, Mohammed, I’ve known you 35 years. For Christ’s sake, get a grip of what’s going on in the FIA.

“Yes, I may get banned from going to the Grand Prixs. I don’t care.”

Learn more about F1 governing body the FIA

👉 FIA explained: What does it stand for and how does it govern F1?

👉 Who is Mohammed Ben Sulayem? Everything you need to know about the FIA president

Jordan went on to claim that he saw improper conduct in Qatar, explaining that Norris’ penalty should have been determined after that race when the McLaren driver had been able to give his side of the story.

McLaren ultimately went on to secure their first Constructors’ title since 1998 at the Abu Dhabi GP the following weekend.

“I just do not see that the FIA is behaving properly, the stewards are behaving properly. It was wrong,” Jordan continued.

“Every person in that team, in McLaren, should feel aggrieved, and the reason being that, they have, on many occasions, said, ‘We’ll investigate after the race’. Isn’t that what happens? Many times? Did they do that? No, they didn’t apply that. Even though the race was getting close to the end.

“Everybody in life, in any jurisdiction in the world, there has to be a fairness, and the fairness is the mitigation and the right to be able to defend yourself. That is fundamental in the world, and I think that Lando was deprived of that.”

As Norris harried leader and F1 2024 title rival for a time Max Verstappen in Qatar, it was Verstappen who took to team radio to query whether Norris had lifted off under the yellow flags down the straight.

But, despite the punishment received, he did not harbour any hard feelings towards Verstappen.

“I mean, to be honest, I think every driver on the grid would do the same as what Max did,” Norris told the media, including PlanetF1.com, in Abu Dhabi. “That’s racing, you know, there’s the rules. Max could tell I didn’t obey the rules.

“I could have done, I still could have lifted and he just doesn’t know, but he’s thought of something, and he said it, that’s completely fine by me.”

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