FIA president accused of interfering with officiating during 2023 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Did FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem make a request to rescind a penalty against Fernando Alonso during a race in 2023?
According to a whistleblower complaint, Ben Sulayem requested that stewards overturn a 10-second penalty that was given to Alonso during last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Alonso had been penalized 10 seconds because a pit crew member had touched his car with a jack while he served a five-second penalty.
Per F1 rules, teams cannot work on the cars while a penalty is being served. The 10-second penalty was called because the jack touched the car, though it was ultimately overturned as the FIA said its definition of what constituted working on the car was too vague.
According to the BBC, the FIA ethics committee is investigating a complaint made by FIA vice president Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The report, by compliance officer Paolo Basarri, says the whistleblower reported that Ben Sulayem "pretended the stewards to overturn their decision to issue" the penalty to Alonso.
In Italian, the word "pretendere" means to require or expect.
The BBC also noted in its story that it "has verified the information with several senior figures at high levels in F1 and close to the FIA. None would go on the record, but all said they had the same information."
Alonso went on to finish third behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. After the race, the FIA added language clarifying the rule and making it clear that touching the car with a jack while a driver was serving his penalty would constitute working on a car.
Ben Sulayem has been the FIA president since 2021. A native of the United Arab Emirates, he competed in the Middle East Rally Championship for 20 seasons and won 14 titles. After his driving career ended, he started working for the FIA, the governing body that oversees Formula 1.
Any findings from the investigation into the complaint could come in four to six weeks. Alonso’s Aston Martin team is sponsored by Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.
The 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is Saturday. It’s the fourth F1 race in the country and each of the previous three events have been won by different drivers. Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural race in 2021 and Verstappen won in 2022.
