13/01/2025
NEWS STORY
Not for the first time, FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, has suggested that the British media, in particular, has an agenda where he is concerned.
Attending the Dakar Rally, Ben Sulayem took the opportunity to hit out at the media after a year of controversy which has seen more comings and goings at the sport's governing body than at Red Bull, not to mention a widely criticised move which effectively sees him take control of the FIA's ethics and audit committees.
"Three years of critics against me. Do I care? Was I elected to listen to the media? No," he told reporters. "I like the good media," he added, "the positive media and maybe I make a mistake, and you can come and criticise me in an objective way."
Of course, the media is not there for PR purposes, and the fact that during his tenure Ben Sulayem has given the media plenty of ammunition, and in the last year even the drivers have joined in the criticism, calling on the FIA president, amongst other things, not to treat them like children.
In a curious, almost sinister twist, for reasons known only to himself, Ben Sulayem then went on to mention sponsorship of the British Grand Prix.
Asked how he would describe the media's treatment of him, he replied: "Unfair!" adding: "But the world is unfair. Saudi Arabia has reinvested a lot.
"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."
Fact is, it will most likely be F1 itself, and thereby Liberty Media, which will have sold title sponsorship of the British round of the world championship, in just the same way as it - to paraphrase Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) in Blue Velvet, it will "sell anything that moves".
In much the same way that some will be disappointed to see the Silverstone event renamed the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix, many will rue the increasing influence the oil rich nations have on the sport, their races seemingly safe whilst the likes of Spa-Francorchamps is forced to host races on a rotational basis.