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FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the governing body's Compliance Department after receiving whistleblower complaints about his potential interference in the sporting decisions during the 2023 F1 season.
The first allegation claimed that the FIA president had interfered with the Stewards' decision to reverse an additional penalty on Fernando Alonso during the Saudi Arabian GP.
The second allegation implied that Ben Sulayem had tried to interfere with the track certification process for the first Las Vegas GP. Reports indicated that he urged the FIA not to approve the track certification.
The FIA Compliance officer and an ethics committee of six members reviewed the complaints. The investigation spanned over 30 days, with 11 witnesses being interviewed.
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After wrapping up the investigation, the FIA Compliance Department concluded that the allegations against Mohammed Ben Sulayem were unsubstantiated, with strong evidence supporting their decision.
The press release made by the governing body read:
"Allegations against the FIA President were unsubstantiated and strong evidence beyond any reasonable doubt was presented to support the determination of the FIA Ethics Committee."
The investigation committee also appreciated Mohammed Ben Sulayem's cooperation and transparency throughout the process.
Exploring the allegations made against FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem
The allegations made by a whistleblower indicated that Mohammed Ben Sulayem interfered with the Stewards' decision in the Saudi Arabian GP and the certification process for the Las Vegas track.
The first allegation claimed that the FIA president had applied pressure to overturn the 10-second penalty levied on Fernando Alonso for an infringement while serving a penalty. It was reported that Ben Sulayem called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa, the FIA’s president, for sport for the Middle East and North Africa to rescind the penalty on the Aston Martin driver.
The second allegation stated that Mohammed Ben Sulayem aimed to postpone the track homologation process for the Las Vegas GP. According to the whistleblower, Ben Sulayem instructed them to identify issues with the venue and declare the track unsafe for drivers.
Contrary to the claims, the FIA President said in an interview with GP Racing magazine, that he signed the homologation process as soon as his team reported the track was safe for an F1 event.
Ben Sulayem added that, as the President of the sport's governing body, he held the power to say no, which would have been "disastrous" for the sport. However, he approved the track as soon as it was deemed safe.
