FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem apparently wanted to influence a race result in the last Formula 1 season. This is reported by the BBC. This threatens the racing series with the next scandal following the allegations against Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
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Accordingly, Ben Sulayem wanted to have a penalty against Fernando Alonso withdrawn at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which had temporarily cost the Aston Martin driver his third place. He originally lost it to George Russell (Mercedes) due to a controversial ten-second penalty, but after a protest from his racing team he remained on the podium.
According to a report by the FIA’s compliance officer – based on an informant – Ben Sulayem used his influence to get Alonso back on the podium. He contacted FIA deputy Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and put pressure on him to withdraw the penalty. The BBC refers to compliance officer Paolo Bassari in its report.
The FIA Ethics Committee is now supposed to take care of the case, and a verdict is expected in March.
Just a few days ago, allegations against Red Bull boss Christian Horner made waves. An internal investigation cleared him of allegations of “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee. However, further anonymous allegations against Horner subsequently emerged.
2024-03-05 11:42:12
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