FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem Steps Away From F1 As Battle With Liberty Media Continues
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the head of the FIA, has stepped down from overseeing F1 in a day-to-day capacity. This decision was communicated to the teams on Monday and is being taken over by FIA single-seater boss Nicholas Tombazis, who will now be the teams' main point of contact. The timing of this decision has raised questions, as Ben Sulayem has been increasingly at odds with F1 and its 10 teams over the past year.
The FIA has stated that Ben Sulayem's decision was in the pipeline for some time and points to the appointment of Natalie Robyn as its first-ever CEO last year. The president will still be involved in strategic F1 matters and top-level decision making. There have been numerous conflict points between Ben Sulayem and F1, including the FIA's push to ban drivers from wearing jewellery during races and their delay in confirming the expansion from three to six sprint races per season.
Tensions have continued to rise during F1's off-season in December and January, with F1 boss Stefano Domenicali clarifying the FIA's recent clampdown on political protest by stating, "F1 will never put a gag on anyone".
Drivers have also expressed concern over the FIA's ruling, and F1 wrote a scathing letter to the president after he commented on the value of F1 following a $20 billion bid from the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
There was also disagreement between Ben Sulayem and F1 over Andretti's proposed entry with Cadillac, and the president was surprised by the "adverse reaction" to the bid, with a large majority of F1's 10 teams opposed.
The FIA was forced to issue a statement defending Ben Sulayem after sexist comments from his old website surfaced from two decades ago. The statement reads:
"The remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the president's beliefs. He has a strong record on promoting women and equality in sport, which he is happy to be judged on."It was a central part of his manifesto and actions taken this year and the many years he served as vice-president for sport prove this."