FIA chief accused of wanting to scuttle Formula One’s Las Vegas Grand Prix

LONDON – The president of Formula One’s governing body, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, faced more accusations on March 5 that he had sought to prevent circuit approval for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The BBC said that the claim, made by a whistleblower, appeared in a report the news outlet had managed to get hold of and which was submitted by the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) compliance officer to an ethics committee.

An FIA spokesperson said in response that there was nothing wrong with the circuit approval and that it had followed FIA protocol, from a sporting and safety perspective, regarding inspection and certification.

“It is unfortunate and a source of concern that the matter has been disclosed to the media without any prior authorisation and that certain elements of the report were inaccurately reported,” the spokesperson added.

“The FIA confirms that the compliance officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies. The compliance department is assessing these concerns, as is common practice in these matters, to ensure that due process is meticulously followed.”

Ben Sulayem, a 62-year-old Emirati, is said to have asked officials “to find some concerns to prevent the FIA from certifying the circuit before the weekend of the race”, according to the report.

According to the whistleblower, “the purpose was to find fault with the track in order to withhold the licence” and that “issues on the circuit were meant to be artificially identified regardless of their actual existence”.

The report adds that officials were subsequently “unable to find any concerns with the circuit and therefore certified the circuit fit for the race”.

It is unclear why Ben Sulayem, who succeeded Jean Todt in December 2021, would have wanted to stop the showcase Nov 16-18 race going ahead as planned.

The night-time Las Vegas race was a pillar of Liberty Media-owned Formula One’s efforts to promote the sport in a key United States market where it has enjoyed rapid growth.

The allegations contrast with Ben Sulayem’s comments at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later in November 2023, when he said he had supported approval of the track despite it not being ready in time for inspection.

“As soon as my team said it was safe... I did it. It was a big thing. If I had said no, it would have been disastrous. But it would have been legal,” he told GP Racing magazine then.

“But I’m careful because I love the sport. At the end of the day, we’re in the same boat. We may have different missions, but we’re in the same boat. We cannot let the sport sink.”

Ben Sulayem’s presidency has been marked by clashes with Formula One in what has been portrayed as a power struggle between the two with money a key element.

Formula One Management holds the 100-year commercial rights to the championship, starting from 2001, while the FIA is the sanctioning body responsible for rules and safety as well as technical staff.

Formula One’s top lawyer sent a letter to the FIA a year ago accusing Ben Sulayem of interfering in the commercial rights “in an unacceptable manner” after he questioned a reported US$20 billion (S$26.8 billion) valuation of the sport.

The two sides have also been at loggerheads over a potential 11th team, with Ben Sulayem supportive of a US-based Andretti-Cadillac entry and Formula One ruling it out until at least 2028.

Another flashpoint was a compliance inquiry into Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and his wife Susie, which was quickly shelved amid general uproar.

The latest Las Vegas allegation came a day after the BBC reported that Ben Sulayem was being investigated for allegedly interfering in the outcome of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

He had apparently requested officials scrap a penalty imposed on Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso during that race. The accusation appears in the same compliance report. REUTERS, AFP