In the round-up: FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been accused of “sexism and bullying” by a British newspaper.
In brief
Ben Sulayem faces new accusations
The Daily Telegraph claims Shaila-Ann Rao, who joined and left the FIA over a six-month period last year, sent a letter alleging sexist behaviour to Ben Sulayem and FIA Senate president Carmelo Sanz de Barros. The newspaper claims they were not investigated.
It quotes an FIA spokesperson responding to the accusations, saying: “Shaila-Ann Rao was a temporary director at the FIA from June 1 2022 and then became interim secretary general for motor sport. In Nov 2022 it was decided by both parties that she would leave that position. Mutual privacy terms have been agreed as is commonplace in business. Neither party has made a reference to the FIA Ethics Committee.”
The newspaper adds its reporters “spoke to dozens of current and former FIA staff, including elected officials, World Motor Sport Council members and stewards who likewise paint a picture of erratic and bullying behaviour behind the scenes.”
Ben Sulayem has made few public comments since the death of his son early last month. He was previously active on Twitter, but his account on the social media site was closed without explanation several weeks ago.
He became president of the FIA in December 2021 at a turbulent time for the governing body following the controversial conclusion to that year’s world championship. He drew criticism earlier this year when sexist comments attributed to him on his official site over two decades ago were republished by The Times newspaper. An FIA spokesperson said at the time: “The remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the president’s beliefs.”
Euroformula grid reaches eight cars for season opener
Euroformula, Europe’s Formula 3-level junior single-seater series, looks unlikely to surpass 10 cars this season with eight only confirmed for this weekend’s opening round at the Autodromo do Algarve.
The series has a proven record of attracting future stars, with IndyCar champion Alex Palou, Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jnr, IndyCar race-winner Colton Herta and reigning Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich among its graduates, but has struggled to attract teams and drivers following the domination of German squad Motopark in recent years.
Motopark announced their fourth driver on Tuesday, with GB3 race-winner Cian Shields joining the team for his second season in car racing. Of the…
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