According to the BBC, a whistleblower claims that “on orders from the FIA president” he was told not to approve the street circuit of last November's Las Vegas Grand Prix, a flagship event for F1, which for the first time it was done to promote the race itself.
This claim is contained in a report, which the BBC claims to have seen, from the FIA's compliance officer at its ethics committee.
The circuit faced a delay before being ready for inspection due to “ongoing construction work by the local organiser”. Later, the whistleblower claims that he was instructed by his manager, with the instruction of Ben Sulayem, to find problems with the facility, so that it could not be declared safe. But no problem was found.
This accusation seems at odds with claims by Ben Sulayem, who supported the approval of the new runway and that the relationship between the governing body and the FOM is much stronger than when he replaced predecessor Jean Todt.
In an exclusive interview given to the magazine GP Racing of Motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem was asked if the FIA and FOM always have to agree. His response was, “No. The FOM has its points. But today, since I took over the presidency, we are in a much better position together.”
General view of the start finish line from above at the Las Vegas GP
Photo by: Philip Hurst / Motorsport Images
“And if he told me that I could go back and change some of the things that happened, for example when I was hit by the media, I wouldn't change anything. Let me give you an example about Las Vegas… The president of the FIA is the one who sign the approval for a new track, or for all tracks. And I supported it.”
“I could have said no (because it wasn't ready in time for inspection). But as soon as my team said it was safe… because I'm a pilot, I care about the well-being of the pilots and the people around them , our staff and commissioners. I did it.”
“It was a big thing. If I had said no, it would have been disastrous for F1. But it would have been legal. But I am careful because I love this sport. In the end, we are in the same boat. We may have different missions. But we are in the same boat. We cannot let this sport sink.”
Ben Sulayem was also accused by the same whistleblower of trying to get race stewards to overturn a penalty that initially cost Fernando Alonso third place in the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.
Motorsport.com has reached out to the FIA for comment on the matter.
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