Formula 1 owners send angry letter to FIA after ‘unacceptable’ tweets

Tensions between Formula 1 owner Liberty Media and the international motorsport association FIA are reaching a new height. The legal representatives of Liberty Media have sent a signed letter to the FIA ​​in response to the tweets previously sent by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Earlier this week, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem responded in a lengthy tweet to news reports that the Saudi Arabian investor fund was reportedly making a $20 billion bid to buy Formula 1.

In his series of tweets, Sulayem tweeted, among other things, that “any potential buyer is advised to use common sense, to think about the public interest of the sport and to come up with a clear and sustainable plan – not just a lot of money.”

As the custodians of motorsport, the FIA, as a non-profit organisation, is cautious about alleged inflated price tags of $20bn being put on F1. (1/3)

— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) January 23, 2023

The owners of Formula 1 – the American Liberty Media – have now reacted to the series of tweets with surprise, confusion and anger. In the letter, which was leaked via Sky and the BBC and subsequently verified by The Race, shareholders responded that Sulayem had gone too far. There would be direct reference to Sulayem’s tweets, in which it is said that his comments would be ‘unacceptable’. The letter also states that the ‘FIA could be held liable’ if the value of Formula 1 plummets due to this riot.

The FIA ​​has, according to Liberty Media’s legal representatives, crossed an important but clear line in which it should only concern itself with the sport’s sporting regulations: “We believe that these comments, made on the official social media account of the FIA ​​President, in an unacceptable manner infringing on these rights.”

The letter closes with the ‘hope’ that Formula 1 and Liberty Media will not have to repeat themselves. For now, the FIA ​​has declined to comment further.