A very turbulent start to the season for the president of the FIA Mohamed Ben Sulayem. The rally legend had in fact been accused for various reasons. The first would have been to "decree" the result of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023. The second was about the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as the Saudi did not want his entry into the Formula 1 calendar.
Sulayem with head held high: "Nothing to hide, the committee acquitted me"
To deal with the issue, F1's top brass decided to appeal to the ethics committee of the Federation. After some analysis of what happened, Sulayem was officially exonerated. It was he himself who revealed it to the press agency AFP: “The court of opinion had already found me guilty, but I don't have to hide anything and I was acquitted. I can walk with my head held high without being able to bother anyone, because I am a sportsman and I play by the rules."
Sulayem on FOM: “We get along for the good of sport”
The multiple Dakar winner also spoke on the issue FOM. His intervention helped plating a bit' the waters on the topic. In fact, it seems that the two giants at the top of F1 are almost always on a war footing: “As president, I can say that FOM is our partner. Our goal is to collaborate to find the most important improvements for the category. In general, relations between our companies are good."
With this intervention, Ben Sulayem has perhaps calmed the spirits at the top. So much tension between the various multinationals that govern F1, which if it is not lowered could have serious risks for the brand. The collaboration between FIA and FOM is therefore fundamental for the continued development of this sport.
ARTICLE BY FRANCESCO ORLANDO
Source statements: FormulaPassion
