Formula 1
Ben Sulayem cleared of wrongdoing after FIA investigation
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been cleared of any wrongdoing after allegations were made against him of interference in Formula 1 events last year.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Mar 20, 2024, 6:51 PM
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The FIA’s Compliance Department had been looking into claims made against Ben Sulayem by a whistleblower about two separate incidents that occurred during 2023.
The first involved a suggestion that he had interfered with the stewards’ decision to reverse a penalty handed down on Fernando Alonso at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The second incident was at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and surrounded allegations that Ben Sulayem pushed for the FIA not to approve the track certification for F1’s newest venue.
However, following a probe by the FIA Compliance Officer and its six-person Ethics Committee, it was announced on Wednesday that there was no evidence Ben Sulayem had acted improperly.
The FIA’s investigations took 30 days to complete and included interviews with 11 witnesses.
In a statement issued by the FIA, it said: “After reviewing the results of the inquiries, the Ethics Committee were unanimous in their determination that there was no evidence to substantiate allegations of interference of any kind involving the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.”
It added: “Allegations against the FIA President were unsubstantiated and strong evidence beyond any reasonable doubt was presented to support the determination of the FIA Ethics Committee.
“The President’s complete co-operation, transparency, and compliance throughout the process during this investigation was greatly appreciated.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA, presents the FIA Winners medal on the podium
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The Saudi Arabia incident related to Ben Sulayem being accused of trying to get Alonso’s penalty overturned.
It was alleged that he called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa, FIA vice-president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa region and a close ally of his, who was present at the race, to help push matters for him.
Ben Sulayem had also been open about the approval for the Las Vegas track being his responsibility, and said if he had wanted to stop it getting the green light then he had the power to do that himself.
Speaking to GP Racing magazine recently, he said: “The president of the FIA is the one who signs the homologation for the new track, or for all the tracks. I supported it.
“I could have said no, [because it wasn’t ready in time for inspection]. But as soon as my team said it was safe... because I’m a driver, I care about the wellbeing of the drivers and the people around them, our staff and the marshals. I did it.
“It was a big thing. If I had said no, it would have been disastrous [for F1]. But it would have been legal. But I’m careful because I love the sport.”
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