The start of the 2024 F1 season has been rocked by a number of off-track controversies, including ongoing allegations against Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
The investigation into Horner escalated to the sports governing body, but another investigation was dropped.
Mohamed Ben Sulayem, president of F1’s governing body Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), has been found guilty of misconduct by the FIA Ethics Committee. President Ben Sulayem was being investigated on two separate charges. The first was an attempt to intervene in the penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso for the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the second was an attempt to intervene in the course certification process for the inaugural Las Grand Prix. Vegas Grand Prix.
Throughout the investigation, President Ben Sulayem insisted he had done nothing wrong. Now, after an extensive investigation by the FIA Ethics Committee, the FIA president has been cleared.
in Commission rejects claims in lengthy statementsaid there was a lack of evidence to substantiate allegations of “any kind” and cited a “robust and extensive vetting” process.
“After considering the findings of the investigation, the Ethics Committee unanimously concluded that there is no evidence to substantiate any allegations of interference of any kind involving FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem,” reads part of the statement. states.
“Concerns regarding 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 Statute,” the statement continued. “There followed a 30-day intense and extensive independent investigation, which included interviews with 11 witnesses. The allegations against the FIA President were unfounded and there was no reasonable doubt that the FIA Ethics Committee’s decision could be supported. Strong evidence has been presented that goes beyond that.
The statement further revealed that President Ben Sulayem has been cleared of allegations relating to both the 2023 Saudi Grand Prix and the certification process for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“The FIA President has been cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to allegations that he (i) interfered with the stewards’ decision to cancel an additional penalty for car No. 14 following a challenge from the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix; and (ii) attempted to interfere with the track certification process for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was timely completed and approved.” FIA Ethics Committee.
The FIA Ethics Committee said Ben Sulayem fully cooperated with the investigation.
“president[‘s] completion [cooperation]We appreciated the transparency and compliance throughout this investigation process. ”
