President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is currently under investigation by the organization he leads for allegedly interfering in a decision made by Formula 1 stewards during the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. According to a report seen by the BBC, the FIA’s compliance officer submitted a report to the ethics committee, claiming that Ben Sulayem exerted pressure to have a 10-second penalty overturned, which initially cost Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin a podium finish in the race.
Alonso received the penalty for his mechanics touching his car on pit lane exit before fully serving a previous 5-second penalty for a grid infringement. A whistleblower alleged that Ben Sulayem contacted Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa, president of the FIA for the Middle East and North Africa, and expressed his belief that the 10-second penalty should be rescinded. Ben Sulayem reportedly hoped that the F1 stewards would reverse their decision.
Initially, the stewards defended their decision by stating that there was no clear agreement that a mechanic touching a car would be considered work on the car. However, the F1 sporting regulations were later updated to clarify that any form of touching the car or driver, whether with hands, tools, or equipment, would be considered work on the car.
Since taking over Jean Todt’s position at the end of 2021, Ben Sulayem’s presidency has been marked by controversies. The FIA’s ability to regulate F1 under his leadership has been frequently criticized, leading to the resignation of several top officials within the organization. Ben Sulayem has also faced criticism from the Formula One Management, the commercial body of F1, for publicly commenting on the commercial value of the championship and unilaterally trying to introduce an 11th team on the grid.
Andretti successfully went through the entry process, but their entry into F1 was rejected by the commercial rights holder for commercial reasons. At the end of the previous season, Ben Sulayem’s FIA potentially exposed itself to legal action by initiating an investigation against Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff. The investigation alleged a conflict of interest, but was quickly closed after all 10 F1 teams unanimously stated that none of them had made any complaints.
The BBC reported that the ethics committee is expected to release its report within four to six weeks.
