The FIA has cleared president Mohammed Ben Sulayem of wrongdoing following an investigation over allegations of F1 race interference.
Ben Sulayem was investigated by the FIA’s Compliance Department after a whistleblower claimed he interfered with multiple F1 events during the 2023 season, specifically during the Saudi Arabian and Las Vegas Grands Prix.
The first claim said the FIA President interfered with the stewards’ decision of handing Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso a penalty.
The second concerns the approval of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, in which the anonymous complainant said Ben Sulayem tried to deny F1 certification to the new venue, asking officials to make up reasons.
However, following an investigation by the FIA’s six-person Ethics Committee, it was announced that there was no evidence Ben Sulayem committed any offense.
“After reviewing the results of the inquiries, the Ethics Committee were unanimous in their determination that there was no evidence to substantiate allegations of interference of any kind involving the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem,” the statement read.
“Allegations against the FIA President were unsubstantiated and strong evidence beyond any reasonable doubt was presented to support the determination of the FIA Ethics Committee.
“The President’s complete co-operation, transparency, and compliance throughout the process during this investigation was greatly appreciated.”