The president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is reportedly being investigated for allegedly influencing the outcome of a Formula One race.
As per the BBC, a report submitted to the FIA’s ethics committee by the motorsport governing body’s compliance officer, Paolo Basarri, alleges that Ben Sulayem intervened to reverse a penalty imposed on Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso during the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The PA news agency has reached out to the FIA for comment. However, given that such matters fall under the jurisdiction of the ethics committee—an independent body—it is unlikely that the FIA will make any statement while the due process is underway.
According to the BBC report, a whistleblower alleged that Ben Sulayem contacted Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa—FIA’s vice president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region—who was present in Saudi Arabia for the race in an official capacity. It was claimed that Ben Sulayem expressed his belief that Alonso’s penalty should be overturned.
The reversal of Alonso’s ten-second penalty, which was initially imposed for work conducted on his car while he was serving a previous five-second penalty, resulted in his return to the podium behind Red Bull drivers Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. This decision was made after Alonso had been demoted to fourth due to the penalty.
At the time, there was no implication of any wrongdoing regarding the decision, especially after Aston Martin’s sporting director, Andy Stevenson, presented the team’s case to the stewards for a review.
