Aston Martin breaks SILENCE on FIA President’s alleged attempt to interfere Fernando Alonso’s race result

Mohammed Ben Sulayem allegedly tried to overturn Fernando Alonso's time penalty during the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.

Aston Martin breaks SILENCE on FIA President’s alleged attempt to interfere Fernando Alonso’s race result

Fernando Alonso [L] Mohammed Ben Sulayem [R] (images via IMAGO)

Formula 1 has found itself amidst a few controversies recently. After Christian Horner‘s inappropriate behavior investigation concluded, allegations against FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem came to light. The 62-year-old allegedly tried to interfere with Fernando Alonso‘s race result at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP. Now Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has affirmed the stance of the British squad.

Krack highlighted that the result was from a year ago. Fernando Alonso was given a 10-second penalty which was overturned after Aston Martin used its right to review. Subsequently, Mike Krack claimed that the team had gone through the fair process with new evidence which allowed Alonso’s penalty to be overturned.

I think 12 months ago here, we were one of the involved parties. It can be re-read in the Stewards' documents how the whole process was. We executed the right of review, we brought new evidence and the penalty was taken out.
Mike Krack said as reported by RacingNews365
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The Aston Martin team boss affirmed that the result of the race was clear for the Siverstone-based team. Fernando Alonso officially finished on the podium in Jeddah. However, the recent allegations have brought controversy surrounding the race result and Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s tenure as the FIA President.

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So from that point of view, for us, the whole matter is clear and closed.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem facing pressure over recent allegations

The 62-year-old took up the role of FIA President in December 2021. Mohammed Ben Sulayem has had a controversial tenure with tensions rising between the FIA and F1. However, the recent allegations about the Emirati could endanger his integrity as the top figure of the sports governing body.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem (via IMAGO).
Mohammed Ben Sulayem (via IMAGO).

Ben Sulayem allegedly even tried to withhold the Las Vegas GP certification. The 62-year-old will face a thorough investigation in front of the ethics committee of the FIA. However, the sports governing body has admitted that there has been some inaccurate reporting regarding the entire situation by the media.

Certainly, Mohammed Ben Sulayem will face pressure in the coming days over the investigation. The 62-year-old has not officially commented on the allegations including Fernando Alonso’s result. However, fans would be looking forward to seeing how things go for the FIA President.

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