New F1 scandal worsens for embattled FIA president

A new scandal engulfing the president of Formula 1’s governing body has only worsened for Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

The FIA boss was this week referred his own federation’s compliance officer over allegations he intervened to overturn a penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso during the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.

And now, Austria’s Kleine Zeitung newspaper reported new claims that Ben Sulayem is also accused of trying to block the homologation of the all-new Las Vegas F1 circuit.

The race is the new, billon dollar blue-ribbon project of Formula 1’s commercial rights holder, owned by Liberty Media, which has been locked in an obvious power struggle with the Ben Sulayem-led FIA for some time.

"This was not about real safety concerns," the newspaper said, referring to Ben Sulayem’s intervention to stop the approval of the Las Vegas street circuit.

"In this case, too, it remains unclear what the background of Ben Sulayem’s intervention might have been."

When asked to comment, the FIA confirmed that an investigation is underway, but stopped short of actually naming the controversial president.

"The FIA confirms that the Compliance Officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies," a spokesperson said.

"The Compliance Department is assessing these concerns, as is common practice in these matters, to ensure that due process is meticulously followed."

Also unknown is whether the new scandal involving Ben Sulayem might be in some way connected to the Christian Horner scandal.

Sport1 correspondents Ralf Bach and Bianca Garloff noted: "Horner is said to have threatened to drag other protagonists to their ruin if he lost his job."