The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is investigating whether its chairman Mohammed Ben Sulayem influenced the outcome of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia last year. This was reported by the British public broadcaster BBC.
A whistleblower has told the FIA that Ben Sulayem intervened to overturn a penalty for Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso during the Saudi Arabian GP. That claim is contained in a report by an FIA compliance officer to the ethics committee. The BBC was able to view this report.
The whistleblower's allegation is that Ben Sulayem contacted Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa – FIA Vice President for Sport for the Middle East and North Africa, who was in Saudi Arabia for the race in an official capacity – and made it clear that he believed Alonso's sanction should be rescinded.
The lifting of the ten-second time penalty, imposed because his car had been worked on while completing an earlier five-second time penalty, brought Alonso back on the podium behind the Red Bull duo Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. The sanction dropped him to fourth place.
The ethics committee's report is expected within four to six weeks. Ben Sulayem and the FIA declined to comment.