Ben Sulayem cleared after FIA Ethics Committee investigation

The FIA Ethics Committee has cleared Mohammed Ben Sulayem of any wrongdoing after an independent investigation into allegations against the FIA president made by a whistleblower.

Ben Sulayem was accused of attempting to interfere with a race result at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – relating to a penalty given to Fernando Alonso – and then it was also alleged he had tried to ensure the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit was not certified ahead of its inaugural race. 

More Formula 1

Norris believes F1 is not too far from ‘a really exciting era’

McLaren drivers still sure their MCL40 is a winner

Lawson relishing stability after 2025 rollercoaster

Those claims were raised by a whistleblower and brought to the FIA Ethics Committee by one of its compliance officers, leading to what the FIA says was a “robust and wide-ranging independent review” involving external advisors, spanning 30 days and featuring interviews with 11 witnesses.

The procedure was managed by the FIA Compliance Officer, and then reviewed by the six-person Ethics Committee.

“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 FIA said in a statement.

“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.”

In announcing the FIA Ethics Committee’s decision, the statement also added that: “The president’s complete co-operation, transparency, and compliance throughout the process during this investigation was greatly appreciated”.

As the investigation involved the FIA president, the Ethics Committee’s report will be sent to the FIA Senate alone, which may decide to take any further action.