Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the President of the FIA, is facing scrutiny from the regulatory body itself over allegations of manipulating the outcome of a Formula 1 race. The incident in question occurred during the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso initially received a 10-second penalty for his pit crew stopping his car while serving a 5-second penalty. However, Aston Martin’s protest with video evidence led to the decision being overturned. A whistleblower has now come forward, claiming that Ben Sulayem tried to influence the outcome by contacting Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifa, the FIA Vice President for Sport (Middle East) and President of the Bahrain Motor Federation, to pressure the stewards to reverse their decision.
According to a report from an FIA compliance officer, Ben Sulayem allegedly misled the stewards into believing they should reverse their decision. This is not the first time Ben Sulayem has clashed with the world of Formula 1. His support for Andretti’s unsuccessful attempt to enter the sport caused controversy among the 10 teams and the Formula 1 Management (FOM). Furthermore, his governance of the FIA has resulted in disagreements with the FOM regarding the upcoming F1 Concorde agreement, as both parties vie for greater financial power.
Además de las alegaciones en torno al resultado de la carrera, se hizo una segunda denuncia contra Ben Sulayem, sugiriendo una violación de las reglas de gobernanza de la FIA. La FIA está clasificada como una organización sin fines de lucro bajo la «Association Loi» francesa de 1901, que permite ciertos niveles de gastos. Sin embargo, se alega que Ben Sulayem podría haber excedido estos límites a través de su uso de un jet privado y otras formas de transporte. Si se comprueba, esto podría potencialmente exponer a la FIA a la tributación u otras consecuencias legales por parte de las autoridades francesas.
