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According to the BBC story, a whistleblower claims they were told “at the behest of the FIA president” not to homologate the street track ahead of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last November, a landmark event for F1 as it moved to promote the race itself. for the first time.
This claim is included in a report, which the BBC claims to have seen, from the FIA’s compliance officer to its ethics committee.
There was a delay before the circuit was ready for inspection due to “ongoing construction work by the local organiser”. Subsequently, the complainant says they were hired by his manager with instructions from Ben Sulayem to find problems with the place so that it could not be declared safe. But no concerns were found.
This accusation appears to contradict Ben Sulayem’s claims that he supported the homologation of the new track and that the relationship between the governing body and the FOM is much stronger than when he first replaced his predecessor Jean Todt.
In an exclusive interview with Autosport’s sister title gp racing Ben Sulayem was asked if the FIA and FOM must always agree. His response was: “No. The FOM has its points. But today, since I became president, together we are in a much better position.
General view of the finish line from above at the Las Vegas GP
Photo by: Philip Hurst / motor sports images
“And if you told me I could go back and change some of the things that happened, for example when I was attacked by the media, I wouldn’t change anything.
“Let me give you an example from Las Vegas… The president of the FIA is the one who signs the homologation for the new track, or for all the tracks. I supported him.
“I could have said no (because it wasn’t ready in time for the inspection). But as soon as my team said it was safe… because I’m a driver, I care about the well-being of the drivers and the people around them, our staff and the deputies. I did it.
“It was something very big. If he had said no, it would have been disastrous (for F1). But it would have been legal. But I’m careful because I love sports.
“At the end of the day, we are in the same boat. We may have different missions. But we are in the same boat. We cannot allow the sport to sink.”
Ben Sulayem has also been accused by the same whistleblower of trying to get race stewards to overturn a penalty that initially cost Fernando Alonso third place at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.
Autosport has approached the FIA for comment.