FIA President reminds F1 who the boss is: "The championship belongs to us, we just rented it out"

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently spoke about how F1's world championship is in the FIA's hands and how they have the power to decide who owns the sport.

During his recent appearance at the Monte-Carlo Rally, the FIA president made it clear that the governing body holds the championship and only rents it out to teams and drivers. He also addressed rumors about F1 being sold to Saudi PIF and how the FIA will have a say in the deal. Ben Sulayem said:

"The championship is ours, we have only rented it out. So far there are only rumors about a possible sale. But the FIA should have a say and be able to offer advice."

Mohammed Ben Sulayem had earlier tweeted about F1's inflated price tag and advised potential buyers to use common sense and have a clear long-term plan for the sport. The statement was made after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund valued the sport at around $20 billion. This widened the schism between the sport and its governing body, as F1 responded to Ben Sulayem's comments with a fiery letter.

Although the FIA does not meddle in most commercial decisions, if the sport is up for sale, a special clause would come into effect called the Don King Clause. It is named after a famous boxing promoter and gives the FIA the power to veto if there is a change in ownership.

As of now, there have been no confirmed news reports about the sport being sold. However, the FIA president has made it clear that the governing body will be involved and influence the change of ownership, if any.

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FIA issues new directive to ban F1 drivers and teams from making political statements

After the 2022 F1 season came to a close, the FIA passed a new amendment that will curb drivers and teams from making any personal comments on global events during race weekends. Part of the amendment states:

"The general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principal of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its Statutes, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for International Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for National Competitions within their jurisdiction."

This was implemented by the FIA to align the sport with the rules of the International Olympic Committee that strive for 'political neutrality'. An FIA spokesperson said:

"The ISC has been updated in alignment with the political neutrality of sport as a universal fundamental ethical principle of the Olympic Movement, enshrined in the IOC Code of Ethics, together with the principle of the universality set out in Article 1.2."

This new rule will majorly affect drivers like Lewis Hamilton, who has constantly used his own and F1's massive platform to raise awareness and speak out about global issues.