Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Alleged Bid to Block Las Vegas F1 Circuit
According to claims brought to light by the BBC on Tuesday, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), reportedly asked his team to find a way to deny approval to the Las Vegas Grand Prix track, which is hosting its inaugural Formula 1 race in 2023, after an insider stepped forward.
Reportedly, the Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem asked his staff to “come up with ways to hinder FIA from authorising the circuit prior to the race weekend” in November 2023, as per an internal FIA report that the BBC viewed, citing the whistleblower’s information.
As per the insider quoted in the report, “the aim was to pinpoint issues at the track as grounds for denying the licence”. The source further stated, “concerns about the track were intended to be artificially highlighted without considering their actual existence, with the ultimate goal of refusing the licence”.
The report, targeted at the FIA’s ethics committee, further stipulates that the officials were “unable to find any faults with the track and thus certified that it was ready for the race”.
The FIA, when reached out to by AFP, confirmed via a spokesperson that the “Compliance Head has received a report detailing potential allegations involving some of its leadership personnel”.
“The Compliance Department is currently assessing these allegations, as is the case in such situations, to ensure that proper procedure is being followed”, the spokesperson added.
The reason why the FIA President, who succeeded Jean Todt in December 2021, may have wanted to obstruct this race is unclear. A power and image dispute is undermining the relationship between the FIA, the governing body of the World Championship, and Liberty Media, which holds the commercial rights.
The Grand Prix of Las Vegas, after a 41-year hiatus, is a key event for Liberty Media, which is the official promoter of the event. With this match, F1 now has three Grand Prix in the United States, alongside Austin and Miami.
In November 2023, the race weekend in Las Vegas started off poorly when Carlos Sainz hit a manhole cover that was not properly affixed, causing extensive damage to his Ferrari, and the first practice sessions were cancelled. However, the rest of the weekend went off without a hitch.
According to the BBC, quoting the same source, Ben Sulayem also allegedly asked officials to rescind a penalty levied against Fernando Alonso in Saudi Arabia last year, an allegation that is included in the same report submitted to the ethics committee.