Just over 1,000 days ago, FIA president Jean Todt stepped down from his position at the end of his third term – the last allowed under the federation’s statutes – with an election held to determine his successor.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, a 14-times Middle East Rally champion, successfully won the election over Todt’s former deputy Graham Stoker with almost two-thirds of votes from the body’s international membership.
Over the almost three years of his presidency, Ben Sulayem has become a name and face that Formula 1 fans especially have become very familiar with. A far more visible presence at grands prix than his predecessor, Ben Sulayem has been a regular attendee in parc ferme after qualifying sessions and races as well as on the post-race podium, presenting FIA winner’s medals to the driver first across the finish line.
Off the track, Ben Sulayem has been an active participant in the political world of Formula 1. He spearheaded the opening of applications to find potential new teams to join the world championship – much to the bemusement of Formula One Management and the ten existing teams, who had zero desire among them to open up the sport to newcomers.
The FIA president has also been subject to criticism from sections of the media, as well as fans and even some F1 drivers, for controversial actions and comments. Old comments on his own personal website from over a decade ago, which many consider sexist, re-emerged last year in an article by The Times. Allegations about Ben Sulayem interfering in the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix raised by whistleblowers earlier this year were dismissed by the FIA’s ethics committee who found no evidence to substantiate the claims.
Most recently, current world champion Max Verstappen effectively boycotted the FIA’s official press conferences during the Singapore Grand Prix in response to a punishment to complete ‘some work of public interest’ that he received for swearing in an earlier press conference. The unusual punishment came just days after Ben Sulayem had criticised F1 drivers in an interview for regularly swearing on team radio.
Ben Sulayem has previously complained about his press coverage, saying earlier this year “the media try to massacre me and assassinate me.” He made similar comments again this week saying: “If you look at the British media and what they did to me… for God’s sake, they convicted me,” to…
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