Mohammed Ben Sulayem has hit back at his critics (Image: Getty)
FIA president has hit out at ‘unfair’ treatment from the media and hinted at hypocrisy among his British critics.
Ben Sulayem has battled a string of controversies since taking over from Jean Todt as chief of the motorsports governing body in 2021. Last year he was accused by an FIA whistleblower of interfering with the result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as well as allegedly telling FIA officials not to certify the circuit last year, although both claims were dismissed and Ben Sulayem was cleared.
The 63-year-old was also criticised by when, as part of an effort to clamp down on the foul language used by drivers, he called on F1 to “differentiate between our sport and rap music”.
Speaking at the Dakar Rally, which started last week, Ben Suleyam hit back. “Three years of critics against me,” he said. “Do I care? Was I elected to listen to the media? No.
“I like the good media, the positive media and maybe I make a mistake, and you can come and criticise me in an objective way. It’s unfair. But the world is unfair.”
Ben Sulayem also slapped down the criticism surrounding F1’s lucrative 10-year partnership deal with Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil company, pointing to the British Grand Prix’s arrangement with Qatar Airways. Saudi and Qatar have both been accused of human rights abuses in recent years.
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Qatar Airways have a sponsorship agreement with the British Grand Prix (Image: Getty)
“Saudi Arabia has reinvested a lot,” said Ben Suleyam. “You look at some of the British media and they go against Saudi Arabia or me.
“But one thing I would say, go on and see the British Grand Prix. Is it the British Grand Prix? No, it is the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix. Please, you remove the budget, you remove the money.”
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Ben Suleyam is up for FIA reelection this year but he currently stands unopposed. A restructure of the governing body towards the end of 2024 left him open to yet more criticism from those who feel it will prevent top bosses from being held accountable for bad governance.
The financial future of the FIA is at least looking up, with a big jump in profitability recorded from 2021 to 2024. “This achievement is a result of our commitment to reforming the organisation in the areas of governance and finance,” said Ben Sulayem.