- Fernando Alonso received a time penalty in last year’s Saudi Arabia GP.
- Mohammed Ben Sulayem would have tried to annul the penalty
- The 62-year-old driver is now reportedly under investigation by the FIA.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is reportedly under investigation for allegedly attempting to interfere with the outcome of a race at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Sulayem allegedly attempted to have a time penalty imposed on Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso overturned, a whistleblower told the FIA.
The claim was included in a report published to the FIA ethics committee by a company compliance officer and has reportedly been seen by the BBC.
Ben Sulayem and the FIA have not responded to BBC requests for comment on the circumstances surrounding the claim.
Alonso initially received a 10-second penalty during the Saudi Arabian GP after a cat touched his car during a pit stop, contravening F1 rules, having already received a five-second penalty.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is reportedly under investigation for allegedly attempting to interfere with the outcome of a race.
Alonso initially received a 10-second penalty which was later overturned at the Saudi Arabia GP.
Ben Sulayem allegedly claimed that Alonso’s initial time penalty during the race should be overturned
The penalty was later overturned and the two-time world champion regained his place on the podium at the expense of Mercedes driver George Russell.
The indictment against Ben Sulayem claims that the Dubai-born FIA chief called Vice President Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa, who is responsible for FIA sport for the Middle East and North Africa region and who was working on the race, and stated that Alonso’s sanction should be reversed.
The report suggesting Sulayem’s behavior was prepared by compliance officer Paolo Basarri and states that the whistleblower reported that the FIA president “pretended that the stewards overturned their decision to impose” the penalty on Alonso.
In Basarri’s native Italian language, the word “pretendere” translates as “wait/claim/demand.”
The ethics committee tasked with investigating Sulayem’s behavior is expected to take four to six weeks to complete its report.
Alonso’s rise to third in the race standings denied Russell a podium finish, while Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen scored another routine one-two finish for Red Bull.
Aston Martin successfully appealed the decision at the time after filing a right of review on the night of the March 19 event.
To clarify its decision to revoke the original sanction, the FIA published a document that said: “In support of the Review Petition, the stewards were shown the minutes of the last SAC meeting and video evidence of 7 different cases in the that the cars were affected by the original penalty. jack while serving a penalty similar to that imposed on Car 14 without being penalized.
The ethics committee tasked with investigating Sulayem’s behavior is expected to take four to six weeks to complete its report.
Sulayem is alleged to have called FIA Vice President Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa at the time of the incident.
“The team’s clear assertion was that the alleged representation of an agreement between the FIA and the teams that touching the car in any way, including with a jack, would constitute ‘working’ on the car for the purposes of Article 54.4(c) of the Sports Regulations, was incorrect and therefore the basis of the Stewards’ decision was erroneous.
‘In light of the petition, the administrators had to decide whether there was ‘a significant and relevant new element (that was) discovered that was not available to the parties requesting review at the time of the decision in question.’
“If there was such an element then the stewards would have to consider whether the decision needs to be modified in any way.”
The organization later modified the rule following the revocation of Alonso’s punishment, with the updated version adding: “In this context, touching the car or the driver with your hand or with tools or equipment will constitute work.” Had the rule been in effect at the time, Alonso would have had to serve his 10-second penalty.
Ben Sulayem was recently seen alongside Red Bull team principal Christian Horner at the Bahrain GP.
Ben Sulayem has been involved in several controversial issues since taking over as FIA President in 2021.
The complaint about Sulayem’s alleged actions is the latest controversy since he took over as FIA president in 2021 after replacing Jean Todt.
His position was previously believed to be under threat after launching an investigation into Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his British wife Susie over a possible conflict of interest.
The nine non-Mercedes teams later denied officially raising a conflict of interest, dealing a blow to the investigation which was later dissolved after just 48 hours.
He recently attended the Bahrain GP and was photographed alongside Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose future in F1 was the hot topic in the build-up to the opening race of the season.
