According to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, “respect” and “honesty” must be shown towards the FIA. With this, the FIA president seems to be lashing out at F1 owner Liberty Media. Tensions between the FIA and Formula 1 seem to be rising again…
Since Mohammed Ben Sulayem succeeded Jean Todt as FIA president just under two years ago, tensions between the FIA and F1 have risen several times. Especially when Mohammed Ben Sulayem publicly questioned the takeover bid for F1 from Saudi Arabia, tensions have risen even more. F1 then even sent a letter to the FIA that the comments made by the FIA president could be harmful to the sport.
In recent months, there has been a lot to do about the process by which Formula 1 is looking for possible new F1 teams. The FIA and F1 also clearly differ in this regard. In conversation with ‘Autocar’, Mohammed Ben Sulayem makes it clear that the FIA deserves more respect.
“We need respect and recognition for the FIA, and fairness,” said Ben Sulayem. “We’re getting there. I have had good talks with Stefano (Domenicali) in that regard and he is aligning himself with the needs of the FIA.”
“We have to be transparent. When we ask for better deals in terms of money, we have to show where it will go: improving the running of the sport, improving the role of the race director, improving the ROC (Remote Operations Center) and improving the material.”
“The new concorde agreement is two and a half years away but there are three stakeholders: the FIA, the FOM and the teams.”
“It has to be fair to everyone. We are not here to create obstacles, we want to move forward together but we cannot move forward if it is unfair.”
Ben Sulayem was then asked if he is afraid of Liberty Media, but he had a clear answer: “No, never.”
“I know where the FIA stands. Who do I represent? The landlords, the owners of the championship.”
“Yes, we have outsourced the championship to Liberty Media and they are doing a great job. I have a good relationship with them but we need to be clear about where we stand, clarity is important.”
“When you look at the rules, the power units in 2026 or if parties show interest in setting up a new F1 team, the FIA should have the first word.”