There has been no shortage of controversies in F1 in 2024. FIA President Mohammad Ben Sulayem has been one entity consistently involved in one controversy after another. Taking note of the same, 34 members of the FIA recently issued a strongly worded statement in a show of support to the organization and its President.
The letter promises to take strict legal actions against those who wish to slander the image of the FIA or Ben Sulayem. It also talks about the ratification of Ben Sulayem following his clearance of any wrongdoings over allegations of interfering in F1. All 34 members who signed the letter also endorsed their support of Ben Sulayem. They hailed the 62-year-old for his stewardship of the organization. Furthermore, they appreciated Ben Sulayem’s progress in transforming the FIA in an “ethical and transparent manner.”
The letter reflects the severe disappointment of the members over the recent allegations against Ben Sulayem. It details that they all believe the allegations came as a means of causing harm to the FIA and its leadership. Hence, a recommendation in the letter asks for legal action against those who slandered the organization and its leader.
In the second half of March, the FIA ethics committee dropped all allegations against Ben Sulayem. A six-person ethics committee and a compliance officer conducted an investigation for over 30 days. They interviewed 11 witnesses before reaching a decision. The committee then issued a statement that cleared Ben Sulayem of all charges, claiming there wasn’t enough evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The Allegations that put Ben Sulayem and F1 at a crossroads
Two issues arose that alleged Ben Sulayem’s wrongdoings within the F1 realm. The first was the Saudi Arabia incident where he was accused of trying to get Fernando Alonso’s penalty overturned. An allegation claimed he called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa, vice-president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa region, to help him with the same.
The second matter had to do with Ben Sulayem not wanting the Las Vegas GP to take place. A ‘whistleblower’ claimed that the former rally driver did not want to give the track the go-ahead and was looking for a way to do the same. However, Ben Sulayem has been vocal about the Las Vegas track solely being his responsibility. Thus, he says that if he wanted to stop it from going ahead, he could easily have done it.
Speaking to GP Racing Magazine, the FIA President said he is the one who signs the homologation of all the tracks. He added he supported the Vegas track as soon as his team said it was safe. “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 well-being of the drivers and the people around them, our staff, and the marshals. I did it.”
The Las Vegas GP did go ahead, after the FIA cleared it for racing. It provided fans with one of the most exciting outings of 2023, so it would have been a shame had the race been cancelled by Ben Sulayem as per the aforementioned reports.
