09/02/2023
NEWS STORY
In a surprise move, FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has announced that he is stepping back from the day-to-day running of F1.
In a letter sent to the teams on Monday, Ben Sulayem announced that he would be ceasing 'hands-on' involvement in the sport and handing over the day-to-day running to the FIA's single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis. Ben Sulayem will remain president of the FIA.
According to the Daily Mail, which has seen the letter, Ben Sulayem wrote: "My stated objective was to be a non-executive president via the recruitment of a team of professional managers, which has now been largely completed.
"Therefore, going forward, your day-to-day contact for all matters on F1 will be with Nikolas and his team, while I will focus on strategic matters with my leadership team."
In reaction, the FIA issued a brief statement agreeing that the restructuring of the organisation that formed the basis of his original manifesto, had been seen through.
"The president's manifesto clearly set out this plan before he was elected," it read, "it pledged 'the appointment of an FIA CEO to provide an integrated and aligned operation', as well as to 'introduce a revised governance framework' under 'a leadership team focused on transparency, democracy, and growth'. These goals, as well as the announcement of the new structure of the single-seater department have been planned since the beginning of this presidency.
"The FIA president has a wide remit that covers the breadth of global motor sport and mobility, and now that the structural reorganisation in Formula One is complete this is a natural next step."
Of course, the big question is, did he jump or was he pushed?
All has not been well between Ben Sulayem and F1 bosses almost from the moment he was elected president in December 2021.
One of his first acts was the investigation of the controversial events in Abu Dhabi that same month.
While race director Michael Masi was blamed, many feel that there remain unanswered questions that the investigation into the matter didn't answer, not least, was Masi acting under orders.
Then came various disagreements including the FIA's vetoing of F1's aim to hold six Sprints last season, not forgetting the clampdown on jewellery and non-sanctioned underwear.
Over the winter he saw the International Sporting Code (ISC) updated in order that before making any kind of statement over matters not actually related to the sport - such as activism - over race weekends, drivers would need to obtain permission from the FIA.
Then, in the wake of the indifference from the sport that greeted the announcement that Andretti was partnering with Cadillac as it sought to enter F1, Ben Sulayem said that F1 needs more teams. Indeed, having previously asked for an Expression of Interest from potential teams, the FIA formally opened the process whereby newcomers might apply... this at a time F1's owners and a majority of the teams have made it quite clear that newcomers are not welcome.
As the chasm between the president of the sport's governing body and its owners became more obvious, the final straw appeared to be when, in reaction to the (false) claim that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund had considered a $20bn bid for F1, Ben Sulayem took to social media to claim that the sport was not worth that much.
F1 immediately reacted, as lawyers for the sport and its owners warned that the matter was none of his business, threatening legal action if he persisted.
While Ben Sulayem has remained quiet since then, as far as F1 (and Liberty) were concerned the gloves were off, with a number of stories appearing in the media which cast the FIA president in a bad light.
Not least was the claim that over twenty years ago, on a now archived personal website, opined that he did not like "women who think they are smarter than men, for they are not in truth".
The FIA itself was quick to react, claiming that its president's remarks "do not reflect the FIA president’s beliefs” and pointed to his "strong record on promoting women and equality in sport".
The livery reveals have also been used to great effect, with drivers using the opportunity to voice their objections to the clampdown on them voicing their opinions.