Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), is reportedly under investigation for alleged interference in a Formula One race result.
On Monday, BBC Sport reported that a whistleblower had accused Ben Sulayem of intervening to overturn a penalty given to Fernando Alonso at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
According to the report, Ben Sulayem called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa – the FIA’s vice president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa – to argue that a 10-second penalty issued to Alonso should be revoked.
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Aston Martin’s Alonso finished third behind Red Bull pair Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after having a 10-second penalty withdrawn.
He was handed that penalty for work starting on his car when he was serving a separate five-second penalty, which was issued for lining up incorrectly at the start of the race.
One down, 23 to go. 💪#BAHRAINGP PIC.TWITTER.COM/PREXLEO0LZ
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) MARCH 3, 2024
Alonso’s 10-second penalty – which dropped him below Mercedes’ George Russell – was not implemented until after the Spaniard had celebrated a third-placed finish on the podium.
Alonso was then returned to the podium when the decision was reversed, with race stewards saying the rules did not define whether a jack touching the rear of the car – as occurred during Alonso’s penalty – constituted the start of work.
Ben Sulayem was elected FIA president in 2021 and his tenure at the helm of F1’s governing body has been defined by a series of controversies.
In 2022, Ben Sulayem was criticised for blocking an agreement between F1 teams and the sport’s commercial rights holders on changes to sprint races, while he was also accused of historic misogynistic remarks.
