A representative of the governing body of Formula 1, the FIA, based in Paris, was asked to comment on the report. However, they could not confirm any details and stated that the matter is being discussed internally.
Ben Sulayem, who was present at the Bahrain Grand Prix over the weekend, could not be reached immediately for comment.
According to the BBC, the FIA ethics committee received a report from compliance officer Paolo Basarri, which included allegations from a whistleblower. The whistleblower claimed that the president intervened to overturn a penalty given to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
It was alleged that Ben Sulayem contacted Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, FIA Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, who was in an official capacity at the race.
After the race in Jeddah on March 19 last year, F1 world champion Alonso had his 100th podium restored after a reversal by officials. The 41-year-old Spaniard initially finished third but was demoted to fourth due to a 10-second penalty after the race for not correctly serving a five-second penalty for a grid positioning error.
Officials found that the rear jack was in contact with the car before the five seconds had elapsed. The second penalty, which was imposed over 30 laps after his pit stop, was then overturned when his team was granted the right to review by presenting new evidence in support of their case.
The new evidence included minutes from a Sporting Advisory Committee meeting and a video showing “seven different instances where cars were touched by the jack while serving a similar penalty… without being penalized.” (Reporting by Alan Baldwin)
