Mohammed Ben Sulayem hits back after Lewis Hamilton called out FIA president
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has come out fighting, despite the fact that his popularity among drivers and teams in F1 is waning.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has claimed that the media have attempted to ‘massacre and assassinate’ him, insisting that he does not care about the approval of F1 drivers and teams following a turbulent spell in office so far.
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The Emirati official was elected to succeed Jean Todt after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but over the past 12 months, his popularity among key figures in F1 has nosedived following a succession of controversial events.
Chief among them was the decision to investigate F1 Academy director Susie Wolff off the back of a BusinessF1 magazine report that claimed rival team leaders had expressed concerns about reports of confidential information being passed on to her husband and Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff.
In response, Mrs Wolff issued a statement fiercely denying the claims, and gained the support of the entire F1 grid, with all teams posting coordinate statements. The investigation was dropped shortly after, but the debacle did considerable damage to Ben Sulayem’s reputation, and his standing in the paddock.
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The saga also led to Lewis Hamilton publicly shunning Ben Sulayem. After expressing his support for Wolff after she lodged a criminal complaint ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver was asked if the FIA president still had his support. He replied: “He never has.”
Ben Sulayem also faced the FIA Ethics Committee after whistleblower reports suggested that he had used his powers to attempt to influence the race result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as well as pushing officials not to certify the Las Vegas circuit ahead of its inaugural race. He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing on both counts.
Discussing the opposition that he has faced, Ben Sulayem told GrandPrix247: “Look at me, the media try to massacre me and assassinate me. It is unnecessary but I am standing tall. When there are issues, it is good to look into them, when there are lies and fabricated rumours… not in our sport.
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“At the end of the day, the sport needs fairness. You know what I have been through in the last two years. It is like a rotation every year. And then what? What is left of these rumours and fabrications?
“I am active. Look at the support. Go on the FIA website. I am overwhelmed by the support of the members. One thing people have to understand: It is the [FIA] members who put me here, it is not the media, nor the drivers, nor the F1 teams.”
