Mohammed Ben Sulayem: FIA President under investigation for alleged attempt to interfere over F1 race

[Waz]

Saudi Arabia: I remember pundits not sympathetic to Alonso at the time saying it was a silly penalty, Sulayem was establishing a healthy precedent.

The penalty wasn't silly, unless they truly weren't touching the car. Once you establish a hard limit in the regulations, you've got to adhere to it, or the teams will exploit that. Touching the car might have saved them a couple of hundreths of a second, but it's still an advantage. Just like track limits - 1cm out of limits is a negligible advantage, but if you make it into a soft limit ("eee... it was barely over, we can let it go"), the teams will push those boundaries further each time, expecting to get away with it. And then, the regulation becomes useless.

<Mod edit, AD21 leftovers removed>

The penalty was deemed silly at the time because the wording in the regulations is ambiguous, and that formed the basis of Aston Martin's appeal. It was never just over turned out of the blue.

Track limits are about as soft as they get in F1, unlike MotoGP. Firstly, it's only enforced on selected corners, and then if ANY part of just ONE tire appears to be touching or POTENTIALLY touching the line, the car is judged within limits.

In both cases, with the Alonso penalty, and the Las Vegas track, he was actually correct, although maybe acted in a manner outside of his official capacity.

All along, his actions have been more on the "side" of the fans, attempting to take back more control of the sport from the teams and commercial rights holder, which does make me wonder if it's his nationality acting against him.

If he were British, for example, and made all the same decisions, would he receive the same outcry?

[Espresso]

..
In both cases, with the Alonso penalty, and the Las Vegas track, he was actually correct, although maybe acted in a manner outside of his official capacity.

All along, his actions have been more on the "side" of the fans, attempting to take back more control of the sport from the teams and commercial rights holder, which does make me wonder if it's his nationality acting against him.

If he were British, for example, and made all the same decisions, would he receive the same outcry?

Wise words need to be quoted!

[FW17]

Saudi Arabia: I remember pundits not sympathetic to Alonso at the time saying it was a silly penalty, Sulayem was establishing a healthy precedent.

The penalty wasn't silly, unless they truly weren't touching the car. Once you establish a hard limit in the regulations, you've got to adhere to it, or the teams will exploit that. Touching the car might have saved them a couple of hundreths of a second, but it's still an advantage. Just like track limits - 1cm out of limits is a negligible advantage, but if you make it into a soft limit ("eee... it was barely over, we can let it go"), the teams will push those boundaries further each time, expecting to get away with it. And then, the regulation becomes useless.

<Mod edit, AD21 leftovers removed>

The penalty was deemed silly at the time because the wording in the regulations is ambiguous, and that formed the basis of Aston Martin's appeal. It was never just over turned out of the blue.

Track limits are about as soft as they get in F1, unlike MotoGP. Firstly, it's only enforced on selected corners, and then if ANY part of just ONE tire appears to be touching or POTENTIALLY touching the line, the car is judged within limits.

In both cases, with the Alonso penalty, and the Las Vegas track, he was actually correct, although maybe acted in a manner outside of his official capacity.

All along, his actions have been more on the "side" of the fans, attempting to take back more control of the sport from the teams and commercial rights holder, which does make me wonder if it's his nationality acting against him.

If he were British, for example, and made all the same decisions, would he receive the same outcry?

And paid F1 media

[PlatinumZealot]

Unfounded. No evidence.

[falonso81]

It’s clear that whistleblowers face many risks when exposing such situations. As mentioned on this page, it’s important to have legal support to make sure that your rights are protected and the truth comes to light.

[Quantum]

All along, his actions have been more on the "side" of the fans, attempting to take back more control of the sport from the teams and commercial rights holder, which does make me wonder if it's his nationality acting against him.

If he were British, for example, and made all the same decisions, would he receive the same outcry?

I disagree.

His actions are dictatorial. Imposing limits on what drivers can say, witch hunts against teams and individuals, and unilateral FIA staff firings on a whim accompanied by made up statements, bewildering those that have been fired. The GPDA have been at odds with him, and now driver radio broadcasting is in line to be axed. All clearly not "more on the side of fans", au contraire.

His nationality is irrespective of his actions too. Ballestre was a donkey and got it from the media, Todt shared his nationality and didn't.
And now it's re-election year and this stuff comes out...

According to The Times, two of the four members of the audit committee members after they questioned whether or not it was appropriate for FIA President Ben Sulayem to make $1.5 million available to motorsport associations around the world, AKA the parties that will decide on his re-election. Bertrand Badré (commission president) and Tom Purves, the members who raised the ethical issue, were dismissed three days later.

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/315489/b ... grity.html

It all has to be about him, he wants zero oversight and complete authority. The same as in football it was with Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, corrupt to the core and self interested.

[SiLo]

MBS just needs to get in the bin. Been awful for the sport.

[FW17]

It all has to be about him, he wants zero oversight and complete authority. The same as in football it was with Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, corrupt to the core and self interested.

Why did you not include Max Mosley (son of a Nazi) who sold F1 for a pack of chips and a few prostitutes ?

[dren]

It all has to be about him, he wants zero oversight and complete authority. The same as in football it was with Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, corrupt to the core and self interested.

Why did you not include Max Mosley (son of a Nazi) who sold F1 for a pack of chips and a few prostitutes ?

Sounds like a good deal to me.

[Seanspeed]

It all has to be about him, he wants zero oversight and complete authority. The same as in football it was with Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, corrupt to the core and self interested.

Why did you not include Max Mosley (son of a Nazi) who sold F1 for a pack of chips and a few prostitutes ?

Max was a pretty notorious dictator in certain ways, but he's also one you could more honestly claim truly did want to reign back the powers of the big corporate teams. Whether that was for self-interested reasons or whatever, feel free to speculate, but he seemed to genuinely be a fan of trying to keep the smaller/privateer teams out from being crushed politically and economically by the bigger ones. He was also a major factor in the push for safety in the sport. He also generally didn't involve himself in the more smaller, day to day affairs of F1.

Max was certainly a polarizing character within the sport, but there are a number of things where we can point to and say he was a positive force. Can anybody really say the same for MBS?

[Quantum]

It all has to be about him, he wants zero oversight and complete authority. The same as in football it was with Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, corrupt to the core and self interested.

Why did you not include Max Mosley (son of a Nazi) who sold F1 for a pack of chips and a few prostitutes ?

Because Max Mosely was famous for being favoured by the media?

[FW17]

It all has to be about him, he wants zero oversight and complete authority. The same as in football it was with Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter, corrupt to the core and self interested.

Why did you not include Max Mosley (son of a Nazi) who sold F1 for a pack of chips and a few prostitutes ?

Max was a pretty notorious dictator in certain ways, but he's also one you could more honestly claim truly did want to reign back the powers of the big corporate teams. Whether that was for self-interested reasons or whatever, feel free to speculate, but he seemed to genuinely be a fan of trying to keep the smaller/privateer teams out from being crushed politically and economically by the bigger ones. He was also a major factor in the push for safety in the sport. He also generally didn't involve himself in the more smaller, day to day affairs of F1.

Max was certainly a polarizing character within the sport, but there are a number of things where we can point to and say he was a positive force. Can anybody really say the same for MBS?

You are a very good revisionist. I guess as per you the privateer Max was fighting for was Ferrari.

[Seanspeed]

Why did you not include Max Mosley (son of a Nazi) who sold F1 for a pack of chips and a few prostitutes ?

Max was a pretty notorious dictator in certain ways, but he's also one you could more honestly claim truly did want to reign back the powers of the big corporate teams. Whether that was for self-interested reasons or whatever, feel free to speculate, but he seemed to genuinely be a fan of trying to keep the smaller/privateer teams out from being crushed politically and economically by the bigger ones. He was also a major factor in the push for safety in the sport. He also generally didn't involve himself in the more smaller, day to day affairs of F1.

Max was certainly a polarizing character within the sport, but there are a number of things where we can point to and say he was a positive force. Can anybody really say the same for MBS?

You are a very good revisionist. I guess as per you the privateer Max was fighting for was Ferrari.

I couldn't find a *yawn* emoji, sorry.

[KimiRai]

FIA president urges F1 to consider reverting back to V10 engines

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/02/ ... 0-engines/

https://autoracer.it/it/fia-ben-sulayem ... -o-fantaf1

[BassVirolla]

FIA president urges F1 to consider reverting back to V10 engines

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/02/ ... 0-engines/

https://autoracer.it/it/fia-ben-sulayem ... -o-fantaf1

In my view, this man feels entitled to say and do anything whenever that gets across his mind. As a spoiled rich child... but a bit grown up.