The FIA president is under scrutiny for an alleged attempt to interfere in an F1 Grand Prix. This purportedly occurred at Jeddah 2023, where he is accused of instructing the race stewards to rescind a penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso.
The start of 2024 is proving to be a challenging and tumultuous time for Formula 1. Following the controversy involving Christian Horner, the spotlight has now shifted to the FIA president.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem is reportedly being investigated for potential interference in the outcome of a Formula 1 Grand Prix. According to reports from the BBC website, an informant informed the FIA that Ben Sulayem intervened to overturn a penalty imposed on Aston Martin Racing driver Fernando Alonso during the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
This information is said to be contained in a report submitted by an FIA official to the federation’s ethics committee, which was reportedly reviewed by the British broadcasting network.
The informant’s accusation is that Mohammed Ben Sulayem called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bis Isa Al Khalifa, also the FIA vice president for the Middle East and North Africa sports section, who was officially present in Saudi Arabia for the Grand Prix. Allegedly, Mohammed Ben Sulayem conveyed that the penalty on Fernando Alonso should be revoked.
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Spanish driver Fernando Alonso had received a 10-second penalty as his mechanics touched his car while he served a previous 5-second penalty. This additional penalty caused him to lose his podium position, dropping from third to fourth. The subsequent removal of the penalty, duly granted, reinstated him to the podium behind race winner Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.
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The report compiled by compliance officer Paolo Basarri states that the informant claimed Ben Sulayem “… insisted that the stewards reverse their decision to penalize Alonso.”
The ethics committee is expected to produce its own report within a timeframe ranging from 4 to 6 weeks.
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