21/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Lewis Hamilton admits that he has never supported FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem.
The seven-time world champion's admission follows the news that Susie Wolff, the wife of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, has filed a criminal complaint in France against the FIA following last December's aborted investigation into the pair.
Asked if the FIA president, who had only hours earlier been cleared of interfering in the result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and seeking to have approval of the Las Vegas circuit blocked, still had his backing, Hamilton was quick to respond.
"He never has," said the Briton.
"I'm incredibly proud of Susie," he continued. "I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values. She's such a leader, and in a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message.
"I love that she's taken it out of this world, because there is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA, things that are happening behind closed doors, there is no transparency, there is really no accountability, and we need that. I think the fans need that.
"How can you trust the sport and what is happening here if you don't have that? Hopefully this stand that she's taking now will create change, will have a positive impact, and especially for women."
Though Ben Sulayem was not in charge of the FIA at the time of the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he did oversee the subsequent investigation into the events of that night, and neither Hamilton nor Wolff was ever happy with the outcome.
Hamilton, who earlier in the day had called for a ceasefire in Palestine, also alluded to the ongoing saga at Red Bull, and particularly the treatment of the female employee at the heart of the matter.
"It is still a male-dominated sport," he said, "and we're living in a time where the message is if you file a complaint, you will be fired, and that is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world, especially when we're talking about inclusivity here in the sport. We need to make sure we stay true to the core values."
Naturally, teammate George Russell was keen to give his support to Ms Wolff's action.
"As drivers we have a role within the teams, and you trust that the leaders in this sport have the best interests at their heart rather than their own interests," he said. "I think it goes back to the transparency side of things.
"If things are transparent and we see the outcome of these cases, we all have a chance to judge for ourselves with all of the facts and figures in front of us. But when we don't have the facts and figures, and there is no transparency, you always think there's something being hidden.
"That's why I think it's so important for the sport now, as Lewis said, to send the right message to everybody who is supporting Formula One, watching Formula One, wants to be involved in Formula One, that things aren't just swept under the carpet."
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