The International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed on Tuesday that its ombudsman has received two complaints “raising potential allegations against some of its leaders”, an announcement that coincides with recent allegations by a whistleblower against the president of the organization that oversees Formula 1.
The BBC reported this week that FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem intervened personally to overturn a penalty imposed on Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso last year at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Another BBC report mentioned that the same whistleblower alleges that Ben Sulayem asked managers not to certify the Las Vegas circuit, in anticipation of the event presented last November.
“The Compliance Department is currently evaluating these allegations, as is the norm in this type of case, to ensure that the process is followed rigorously,” read an FIA press release.
The FIA offered no details about the allegations or whether Ben Sulayem was involved. In addition to the statement provided to The Associated Press, an FIA spokesperson said: “It is unfortunate and very concerning that such a sensitive issue has leaked to the media. […], and some elements reported in the reports are inaccurate. »
The BBC reports come after a tumultuous month in which Red Bull launched an investigation into team principal Christian Horner following allegations of misconduct against a team employee. the team. The complaint was not upheld, a few days before the first event of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was won by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Even though Horner was cleared by the parent company, much of the evidence allegedly presented against him during the investigation was leaked to more than a hundred players in the field during a free practice session in Bahrain. Horner has denied all the allegations and his wife, ex-Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, accompanied him to the paddocks on race day.
After the event, Verstappen’s father told Daily Mail that the team will “implode” if Horner is not fired.
The whistleblower is believed to be a former FIA employee who currently works for Formula One Management, said a person familiar with the complaints who requested anonymity to discuss with the AP because of the names and details in the case. have not been specified by the FIA.
The whistleblower told the BBC that Ben Sulayem allegedly called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa — the FIA vice president responsible for operations in the Middle East and North Africa — to tell him that the Alonso’s 10-second penalty, after Aston Martin mechanics worked on his car while he served a five-second pit penalty, is expected to be overturned.
The penalty dropped Alonso from third to fourth place. This was, however, canceled, and Alonso pushed Mercedes driver George Russell back to the foot of the podium.
In its second report, the BBC reported that Ben Sulayem asked track marshals to find a way to declare the Las Vegas circuit unsafe for motor racing.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was the first to be promoted by F1 and its commercial rights holder, Liberty Media, and it is estimated that around US$500 million was invested in staging the event.
The second stage of the 2024 F1 season will take place this weekend in Saudi Arabia.