FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed that Lewis Hamilton has not responded to a number of messages sent to him in the wake of the Abu Dhabi weekend.

Indeed, almost from the moment the chequered flag fell at the Yas Marina Circuit, other than a very brief post after being knighted on 15 December, there has been total radio silence from the seven time world champion, who is understood to have spent Christmas in Colorado with his father.

Snubbing the official prize-giving ceremony days after the controversial season finale, Hamilton has avoided social media and pretty much all contact with the outside world, certainly that involving F1.

While discussion rages over whether the events of 12 December will cause him to walk away from the sport, newly elected FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed that his messages to Hamilton have gone unanswered.

"I sent him messages, yes," he told Spanish publication Marca. "I think he is not 100% ready yet, and I understand his position."

Asked if he feels Hamilton will turn his back on F1, Ben Sulayem replied: "No, I don't think so, they are just rumours.

"Has he declared that he is not going to run? Exactly, no," he added. "Lewis is an important part of the sport with his achievements."

However, the situation has hardly been helped by Ben Sulayem, who, just hours into his presidency, warned that Hamilton could be punished for missing the official prize-giving.

"There are rules that must be accepted by all drivers," Ben Sulayem told Marca. "For me there is no particular team or driver above the respect for the integrity of the FIA. But I cannot judge until I have all the data and the first thing on my agenda is to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi.

"In the end we are all human and the stress and pressure was there. I think it will all work out. You have to look more to the future than to the past."

LATEST NEWS

more news >

LATEST IMAGES

galleries >

Click to go to the main galleries section

READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 14/01/2022 2:58

"@ Stitch431 Good post. I have always believed that some manus exercise undue leverage and as such there should be some mechanism to prevent this from happening. What we are witnessing is quite tumultuous insofar as we have a manu publically challenging the right of the governing body...to actually govern! We have witnessed race manipulation within Mercedes itself on many occasions. To tamper with race results is, in most jurisdictions, an indictable offence yet we see George Russell , a Williams contracted driver,being councilled by Wolff/Mercedes for taking out a Mercedes driver...and he gets away with this blatant activity ? "

Rating: Positive (1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

2. Posted by Stitch431, 11/01/2022 14:38

"Frankly, I don't think he will quit, but it is all a big show. Personally, I don't like drama queen behavior like this. And Mr. Ben Sulayem is absolutely right that all drivers, without exception, should obey the rules. Hamilton has had a privileged position for way too long and the first time it turned against him all season, he wines like a baby. Sorry, but that's how I feel about this saga. If he does not like it, then he should quit. Mercedes can put Nyck de Vries in his seat. That will prove that it is not necessarily only Lewis that will win races in a Mercedes."

Rating: Positive (2) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

3. Posted by Spindoctor, 09/01/2022 19:10

"Sorry Liberty\FIA but I'm not biting on this juicy confection.... "

Rating: Positive (1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

4. Posted by kenji, 07/01/2022 1:26

"@ Max...How did that escape the eagle eye of the administrator? hahaha Regards 'Jack ,the Dripper ' I have never understood the the fascination with such an end result. I have viewed 'Blue Poles' many times and, as a professional artist' I respect individual talents with true 'creation' when it comes to art but Pollock's work is outside this realm. Your analogy is partially correct insofar as methodology but where it is weakest is that ,in the case in question, there is a carefully planned end result, something that Pollock in his acohol fuelled sessions could not have foretold, let alone planned!"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

5. Posted by Max Noble, 06/01/2022 23:24

"*blank! - good grief…"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

6. Posted by Max Noble, 06/01/2022 23:24

"@Kenji - with this episode of reality more than most in F1 these days, I fully agree. As I type this the “PitPass Countdown Clock” is reading 72 days 16 hours and a large handful of minutes until the next race. That’s a huge black canvas that Liberty simply cannot resist throwing paint at. The Jackson Pollock’s of the sporting universe are only happy when the paint is flying in all directions…"

Rating: Positive (1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

7. Posted by alvarezh3, 06/01/2022 16:53

"If Hamilton stays (which I speculate he will) he could end up braking Michael's championship record, but there is a record that Schumacher has that is as hard to obtain as his seven drivers' championships, and that with Russell now with an equally competitive (to Hamilton's) machine at his disposal and probably increased competition from the other teams, it will be very improbable Lewis could break or even reach: Five consecutive drivers' championships."

Rating: Positive (1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

8. Posted by kenji, 06/01/2022 10:20

"@ Max....The entire episode has no doubt been stage managed. Hamilton lost, so how do we manage that . We orchestrate some carefully worded 'statements' of a rather ambiguous nature then let the media run with it and build it up and up and up... When it looks as though it's peaked then run with a slightly different [ possible ] slant until all the sheep are gathered in the top paddock then announce .....wait for it, 'he's coming back'..GEE WOW.. How about that, accompanied by a 'do or die' hand on heart, proclamation voicing a return to fight the evil Hollander and his questionable RB handlers. Sounds like something directly out of Liberty's manifesto."

Rating: Positive (1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

9. Posted by Max Noble, 06/01/2022 7:32

"Well if Sir Lewis, and the newly appointed headmaster would only listen to Miss Manners (a distant cousin of Miss Physics) this would all be settled over a cool glass of sparkling mineral water, and a quiet pool-side chat.
As it is, the entire saga is proving to be F1’s Christmas storm in a tea cup. The only chance on this planet Sir Lewis has of beating Michael’s record of F1 Driver’s Championship wins is to continue. So the only question of any relevance is “Does that matter to Lewis?” (Please mark Yes, or No). If Lewis is happy tied with Michael he could stop if he desired. If it drives him nuts, and he *really* want an eighth title… Well “…He’ll be back.”

And all this Winter break posturing will be precisely that… Slice of fruit cake anyone? The Port’s by the fire side…"

Rating: Positive (7) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

10. Posted by Defiant, 05/01/2022 1:55

"@jcr, me is ed-jumakated.... I made it up all on my own"

Rating: Negative (-1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

11. Posted by jcr, 04/01/2022 23:31

"Defiant; What comic did U read that in ??
Or did U make it up all on Ur own ??
"

Rating: Positive (3) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

12. Posted by kenji, 04/01/2022 23:21

"@ Defiant...IIRC Sulayem was answering a media question re the 'snub' by Hamilton of the prize giving gala. He said, in as many words, that the rules appeared to have been broken and if that occurs then it attracts a penalty. If SLAM did break that rule then he would and should be penalised, Just like anyone else. I fully agree that this should occur. We all look for rules and regs that are applied equally across the board provided at all times that all incidents are recognised for their individuality. To many people they only make judgements based 'first glance similarity' and of course the driver involved!. "

Rating: Positive (2) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

13. Posted by Defiant, 04/01/2022 21:45

"@jcr
Sir Lewis Hamilton = sir social justice warrior

"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

14. Posted by jcr, 04/01/2022 20:41

"Pardon my ignorance ??
But who if Sir SJW ??"

Rating: Positive (4) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

15. Posted by Defiant, 04/01/2022 19:30

"@RobMartin. Gracious........ seriously? Some of the first words as FIA President were low key threats.

As Kenji and I have said on the forum before, we want rules applied evenly to everyone ALL the time with NO exceptions, so if Sir SJW is to be punished I think we can all get behind that, but the first person to hear of this should of been the person involved, NOT the press. So gracious is not only a stretch its a complete fabrication.

I'm hoping this downward spiral of F1 isn't going to continue under this one as it has done under JT.
Although I don't forget history, Mad Max wasnt a lot better. As for JMB, pft, he was maybe the worst of all."

Rating: Negative (-1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

Hamilton not responding to messages from Ben Sulayem

LATEST NEWS

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST IMAGES

POST A COMMENT

Post your comment

READERS COMMENTS

Share this page