FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been cleared of suggestions he interfered in two races last year following an independent investigation.
They found “no evidence of interference” after claims were put against the most senior figure in Formula 1. It was suggested first that Ben Sulayem had looked to interfere with the result of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last year after reversing a penalty wrongly issued to Fernando Alonso.
The Aston Martin driver was hit a 10-second time penalty during the race before the decision was later changed, meaning Alonso landed a spot on the podium. The other allegation made against the FIA president suggested he tried to obstruct the track certification process for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which saw its first visit from F1 last season.
The FIA Compliance Department, which was supported by external advisors, conducted an investigation into the claims. They claimed: “The Ethics Committee were unanimous in their determination that there was no evidence to substantiate allegations of interference of any kind”
The statement also added: “Concerns over potential interference were brought to the attention of the FIA Compliance Officer and subsequently passed to the FIA Ethics Committee under Article 32.2.5 of the FIA Statutes.
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“There followed a robust and wide-ranging independent review spanning 30 days, which included interviews with 11 witnesses. Allegations against the FIA President were unsubstantiated and strong evidence beyond any reasonable doubt was presented to support the determination of the FIA Ethics Committee.
“The FIA President was cleared of any wrongdoing regarding allegations (i) to have interfered with the Stewards’ decision to reverse an additional penalty on Car 14 following a challenge from the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 and (ii) to have attempted to interfere with the track certification process for the Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023. The certification was completed and approved in due time.
The FIA president was accused of helping Fernando Alonso land a podium (Getty Images)“The President's complete co-operation, transparency, and compliance throughout the process during this investigation was greatly appreciated.”
The allegations had hung over the FIA president for the opening two races of the season but Ben Sulayem can head to the Australian Grand Prix this weekend knowing he's cleared. His problems though are not over with the sport's chief having to deal with the continued noise surrounding Christian Horner.
The Red Bull team principal has faced accusations of inappropriate behaviour. He was cleared by an internal review but the issue remains with the accuser being suspended by the outfit and lodging a grievance with the FIA.
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