New scandal in Formula 1: the president of the FIA ​​is under investigation for alleged interference in the result of a race

THE Formula 1 is preparing for a new weekend of activities in Saudi Arabia, where on Saturday, due to Ramadan, the second race of the 2024 calendar will take place, as happened in the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the category he was once again in the eye of the storm for a new scandal. In a year in which it seems that the top category of world motorsport has left sport aside and the riots are at the center of attention, now center stage is Mohammed Ben Sulayempresident of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The 62-year-old Emirati is under investigation by a alleged intervention in the final result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in which Fernando Alonsopilot Aston Martin and two-time champion, achieved his 100th podium thanks to which he was relieved of a penalty that had been imposed on him. This complaint appears in a report by an FIA compliance officer to its ethics committee, published by BBC Sport.

Alonso had received a five-second penalty for incorrectly positioning his car in the starting box. While he was serving that penalty during his first pit stop, the stewards of that race saw that one of the mechanics touched the car before the penalty time had expired.

That’s why the Aston Martin driver received another 10-second penalty at the end of the race, which made him fall from the podium and finish in fourth place, behind the Briton George Russell. Hours later, that 10-second penalty was lifted and Alonso is back on the podium.

“Sulayem wanted the stewards to reverse the decision to impose the sanction on Alonso which had caused him to miss the podium,” the leader’s whistleblower said.

“The president of the FIA ​​called the sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifasporting vice-president of the International Automobile Federation for the Middle East and North Africa, who was in Saudi Arabia at the time to attend the race in an official capacity, clarified that I thought Alonso’s sanction should be revoked“the complainant said.

Both the FIA ​​and F1 have not commented on the matter and the Ethics Committee is expected to take its time. between four and six weeks in issuing a report.

Furthermore, BBC Sport has verified the information with several high-level F1 figures close to the FIA. None of them wanted to testify, but they all said they had the same information.

The report that BBC Sport claims to have seen is written by Italian Paolo Basarri and says that a match commissioner, who is the complainant, reported Ben Sulayem’s intervention. The British media claim that the Italian word “p“I’ll keep it”means to demand or wait.

This intervention in deciding the outcome of the race would be the latest in the controversy and controversy that has surrounded Ben Sulayem since he was elected FIA president in 2021.

During the winter of 2022-23, he said he would withdraw from direct involvement in F1, stating that his stated aim was “to be a non-executive chairman”.

In turn, the FIA’s top executive has been at the center of criticism for misogynistic comments. On his old website, Sulayem said he doesn’t like women who think they are smarter than men because “in reality they wouldn’t be.”

And his job was also in jeopardy after an investigation into a possible conflict of interest between Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff and his wife Susie from the F1 Academy.

The other nine teams denied officially raising a conflict of interest, dealing a major blow to the investigation, which dissolved after just 48 hours.