FIA President Ben Sulayem hints at a crackdown on F1 grid access following Neymar Jr’s alarming incident in Spain

FIA boss Ben Sulayem is concerned about the increasing number of people allowed on a F1 grid.

FIA President Ben Sulayem hints at a crackdown on F1 grid access following Neymar Jr’s alarming incident in Spain

FIA President Mohammad Ben Sulayem

FIA President Ben Sulayem recently spoke about the increasing amount of people being present on a F1 race grid before the grand prix goes underway. 40 minutes before every race, the drivers do a lap of the track and line up on their assigned grid spots. The mechanics of each car further go on to do final checks and get it ready for the actual race. During this time, more than 100 people are currently present on the grid with the sole job of working on the car.

Apart from these individuals, there is another set of individuals who are part of the build up to the race. The F1 grid is a very busy place before the race and it gets even more crowded with celebrities and invited guests being allowed there. This happens for every race where a select bunch of people are allowed access to the grid where they can interact with everyone. Neymar Jr. was one of the guests at the 2023 Spanish GP where an alarming incident took place.

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During the buildup to Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz’s home race, Neymar Jr. and some other guests were positioned at the edge of the grass. This being on the main straight as the formation lap got underway. This was a very high risk safety issue. Race officials were immediately notified and called for after this incident took place. FIA President Ben Sulayem gave his thoughts on the situation at hand.

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Ben Sulayem has been assured that measures have been taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again

FIA President Mohammad Ben Sulayem with his son
FIA President Mohammad Ben Sulayem with his son

In an interview, here is what he had to say. “We must take learnings from the incident at the Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA has been assured by Stefano Domenicali [F1 CEO] that measures are being taken to ensure that there is no repeat of the incident,” he said. “I have no doubt that in all cases, the promoter will adhere to the FIA requirements on safety and security. It is the duty of the FIA to ensure a safe environment for all. Safety in motor sport is the Federation’s main priority,” he continued.

Formula 1 has gone onto permit grid access to celebrities occasionally. One of the most prominent ones is when Usain Bolt had a photoshoot planned with F1 at the United States GP in 2017. This happened moments before the starting lap of the race. However, the risk towards the individuals on the grid is still imminent. It will be interesting to see what measures F1 takes in order to prevent such instances from taking place in the future.

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