Mohammed Ben Sulayempresident of the International Automobile Federation, is being investigated for alleged interference in the outcome of a 2023 Formula 1 race, BBC Sport announced on Monday.
According to a whistleblower, the Dubai man allegedly intervened to overturn the penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The claim appears in a report from an FIA compliance officer addressed to the committee of its ethics, with access to the aforementioned medium .
Alonso received a severe preliminary five-second penalty for placing his car outside its starting box on the racing grid. This must be done at the first pit stop. Before touching the car, its mechanic had to wait five seconds before changing the tires. But one of the mechanics appeared to have slightly tapped the jack on the rear of the car before five seconds had elapsed and the two-time champion received a 10-second penalty as Aston Martin was deemed to have breached his car’s manufacturing rules. . .
The Asturian crossed the finish line third before incurring a 10-second penalty that relegated him to fourth place. However, Stewards later overturned the penalty, returning the Aston Martin driver to third place.
According to BBC reporting, Ben Sulayem allegedly called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, FIA vice president of sports for the Middle East and North Africa region, who was in Saudi Arabia for the race in an official capacity. , and he made it clear. that he thought Alonso’s punishment should be revoked.
The ethics committee is expected to take four to six weeks to issue its report.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
