FIA’s Mohammed Ben Sulayem faces investigation for alleged F1 race interference
Mohammed𓄧 Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, is under investigation for allegedly interfering with an F1 race resu🐭lt.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been placed under investigation for allegedly attempting to interfere with an F1 race result.
reports that a whistleblower has told F1's governing body that Ben Sulayem intervened to overturn a penalty handed out to Aston Martin driver 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Alonso finished third in the Jeddah race behind Red Bull pair 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Sergio Perez and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen but dropped to fifth when the FIA announced he had copped a 10-second penalty for having not properly served an earlier five-second p𒉰enalty h𓃲e had been given for failing to line-up within his grid box.
But the two-time world champion's 100th career podium was reinstated after the penalty was revoked following a successful right of review request from A﷽ston Martin.
It has now be𓄧en clai♑med that Ben Sulayem directly got involved in the matter.
Ben Sulayem is alleged to have called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Kh🐼alifa, the FIA's vice-president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa region, to make it clear that Alonso's penalty should be overturned.
BBC Sport says it has seen the claim in a report by FIA compliance officer Paolo Basarri to its ethics committee, and also verified the information with "several senior figures at high levels in F1 and cl💮ose to the FIA."
A controversial reign
This marks the latest controversy Ben Sulayem has been at the centre of since being elected🍬 to the biggest job in motorsport at the end of 2021.
Ben Sulayem immediately caused controversy in his first press conference by suggesting that Lewis Hamilton would be 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:🎀punished for refusing to attend the🌳 FIA gala in protest of the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix events.
He was suggested to be behind the push to clampdown on the issue of drivers wearing jewellery, which 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:caused friction with Hamilton.
There was a stand-off between F1 and FIA over the amount of sprint races, the early publication of the 2023 calendar, and Ben Sulayem's offering of 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:public♛ support tꦏo Andretti's F1 bid. Ben Sulayem also angered F1 by 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:questioning the sport's value.
Ben Sulayem was then 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:caught up in a sexism storm ⛦when historic misogynistic remarks appeared on an archived 🌺version of his website. He later defended these remarks in an interview with the Press Association last November.
In February 2023, Ben Sulayem168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: stepped back from direct involv💖ement in F1, but he continued to cause headlines.
Most recently, the FIA placed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his wi📖fe and Susie under investigation over an allegedꦓ conflict of interest following claims made in a magazine.
The enquiry was 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:dropped just 48 hours later after Mercedes' nine rival teams united in coordinated social media posts🙈 to deny making any complaints about the Wolffs.
Wolff has admitted to 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:still being angry about the re💎putational damage he believes the investigation caused.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the🌠 stories of the people who matter in the sport.
