The FIA has acknowledged allegations have been made against “certain members” following reports regarding president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The governing body of motorsport did not specify the nature of the allegations, or who they involved.
However a pair of BBC reports in the past two days have detailed claims about Ben Sulayem’s actions at two Formula 1 events last year, in Las Vegas and Jeddah.
The latest report, published today, quotes a whistle-blower who claims Ben Sulayem instructed an official to find a reason to prevent the FIA from approving the Las Vegas Strip Circuit for use by F1. The track held its first world championship round in November.
The track inspection was delayed due to construction work, though it eventually received the FIA’s approval and the grand prix went ahead. However Carlos Sainz Jnr struck a loose water valve and badly damaged his Ferrari 10 minutes into the first practice session which heavily disrupted the opening day of running.
A previous report quoting the same whistle-blower claimed Ben Sulayem made efforts to overturn a post-race penalty given to Fernando Alonso at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
In a statement supplied to RaceFans an FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA confirms that the compliance officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies.”
The reports did not mention any subjects of the allegations besides Ben Sulayem.
“The Compliance Department is assessing these concerns, as is common practice in these matters, to ensure that due process is meticulously followed,” the statement concluded.
The FIA’s Compliance Department is responsible for ensuring compliance with the governing body’s Code of Ethics. It is headed by Paolo Basarri, who has run the division since 2017.
In December last year the FIA announced the Compliance Department had begun an investigation into an alleged exchange of information between two individuals, later identified as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and F1 Academy CEO Susie Wolff, who are married. The investigation was called off within two days as the FIA accepted “FOM’s compliance management system is robust enough to prevent any unauthorised disclosure of confidential information.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula 1
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…