Ben Sulayem says Sainz ’didn’t understand’ FIA presidency

Mohammed Ben Sulayem has taken a swipe at Carlos Sainz Sr over the rally legend’s aborted attempt to challenge him for the FIA presidency.

Sainz had explored a presidential bid during the highly controversial election process, when Ben Sulayem’s opponents complained that the nomination rules effectively prevented serious challengers from reaching the ballot.

Speaking to Spanish newspaper AS, the FIA president was asked how his old rally rival had approached the idea.

"Carlos is a good friend, but I don’t think he understood," he answered.

"Of course, he understands the FIA and the sport better than anyone, but the FIA presidency isn’t just about the sport. It’s about mobility, it’s about running a business, it’s about 245 members from all over the world."

"It’s about working 365 days a year without getting anything in return."

Meanwhile, Sainz’s son Carlos Sainz Jr has denied that he seriously considered following his father’s preferred path towards Audi before recently recommitting to Williams.

"No, it was just the usual paddock rumours," he said when asked about the Audi speculation.

"I can confirm that I never seriously considered going anywhere else this year."

But former F1 driver Christian Danner remains concerned about the situation at Williams.

"I think there are more problems than meets the eye," he told Motorsport-Magazin.

"Something is clearly wrong."

Danner also highlighted apparent confusion over Sainz’s new contract.

"Now Sainz says he only has a one-year contract, not a multi-year one," he noted. "In response, James Vowles said, ’No, we have a multi-year agreement.’"

"So, either Sainz is making something up, or Williams has made a big mistake."