As of: March 6, 2024, 6:20 p.m
By: Stefan Schmid
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An internal investigation was launched against the FIA president because of an Alonso penalty.
The pressure on Sulayem is growing.
Paris – On the race track, Formula 1 started the new season with as much excitement as the last one ended.
Max Verstappen in the Red Bull dominates, the rest are left behind.
When you're bored with the sport itself, you often start to look at what's going on around it.
You don't have to search for long to find something worth reporting.
After the allegations against Red Bull boss Christian Horner, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is now coming into focus.
The ethics committee of his own association is investigating him.
FIA Ethics Commission investigates President Sulayem's influence
The allegations against FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem are serious.
At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last year, Sulayem is said to have had a decisive influence on the result.
Specifically, he is said to have worked to have a time penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso revoked.
The FIA Ethics Committee has therefore now initiated an investigation against Sulayem.
The world association confirmed this after internal information
was initially published by the
BBC .
Shortly before returning to Saudi Arabia: Chaos surrounding Alonso becomes an issue again
In fact, last year's race in Saudi Arabia made headlines.
The fact that the events are now being investigated in the week before the return to Saudi Arabia, and therefore only a year later, leaves room for speculation.
In any case, there should be enough need for discussion during the reporting, as the allegations against Christian Horner are still current.
A year ago there was a lot of need to talk, especially after the race.
Fernando Alonso, who crossed the finish line in third place, celebrated his 100th podium finish extensively during the award ceremony.
Then came the shock, including a U-turn: a 10-second penalty pushed Alonso to fourth place after the race, before it was withdrawn.
As it has now emerged, Mohammed Ben Sulayem probably had a hand in this.
One can only speculate about his motives.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem (right) is said to have influenced Fernando Alonso's placement at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.
The picture shows the two of them during the Spanish GP in June 2023. © IMAGO / HochZwei
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FIA President Sulayem probably wanted to prevent the Las Vegas GP
As if the FIA President influencing a race result wasn't bad enough, Sulayem also wanted to prevent the Las Vegas Grand Prix on his own initiative.
As the
BBC
reports, citing a source, Sulayem is said to have instructed FIA officials to "raise some concerns to prevent the FIA from certifying the track before the race weekend."
The informant's statements are now available to the world association's ethics committee in a comprehensive report on both cases.
According to the commission, the review should take four to six weeks.
According to the FIA protocol, the results will be handed over to the Senate of the world association after the examination.
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