Mohammed Ben Sulayem may have become a household name in F1 since becoming the FIA President in 2021, but his love for cars began years earlier, when he was a racer himself.
Hailing from the UAE, Ben Sulayem competed in the Middle East Rally Championship and won six consecutive titles driving for Toyota between 1986 and 1991. He then moved to Ford in 1994, securing seven more championships between 1996 and 2002.
So, before taking charge of the largest governing body in international motorsport, Ben Sulayem had already built his fortune. However, he once claimed he wasn’t “that rich” in an interview with television presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
The comment left the British journalist stunned—especially since Ben Sulayem made it while driving a $4.3 million Ferrari F50.
Ferrari F50 ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/SbMNWtGTVp
— LUX Cars (@LuxuryCars365) April 13, 2025
Clarkson revealed in a video back in 2021 that this was just one of four rare luxury cars owned by the Emirati. “What we have here is an F40, an F50, a Porsche 959, and a (Jaguar) XJ220—four of the rarest, fastest cars in the world—and they all belong to one man,” Clarkson said at the start of his YouTube video.
Clarkson then asked Ben Sulayem which of the cars he would take for a spin if given the choice. Ben Sulayem chose the F50—and made the surprising claim that he wasn’t really wealthy.
After selecting the F50 and taking Clarkson for a drive in it, Ben Sulayem explained, “Sometimes there are rich people—I am not that rich,” prompting a surprised look from Clarkson. “But rich people, very rich people… what is enjoyment to them? Okay, you die. I don’t think you have pockets in your coffin, so you’re not going to take it. So enjoy it.”
But what makes the F50 so special? Ferrari has described this beast—an upgrade over its predecessor, the F40—as a Formula 1 car for the road, thanks to a chassis built using the same technologies found in the sport. Powered by a 3.5-liter V12 engine, the F50 can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in an astonishing 3.87 seconds.
Moreover, with a top speed of 325 kph (202 mph), it comes as no surprise that racing enthusiasts like Ben Sulayem like this beast.
As for Ben Sulayem’s other cars, the Porsche 959—powered by a twin-turbocharged engine—fetches over $1.5 million at auctions today. Meanwhile, the Jaguar XJ220, equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 542 horsepower, has been sold for more than $466,000 at auction.
