Jonathan FletcherBernie Ecclestone supports FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, amidst claims of being attacked by anonymous F1 figures and tackling regulatory challenges with Liberty Media.
Bernie Ecclestone has expressed his support for the embattled president of Formula 1’s governing body.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who became president of the FIA just before the 2022 season, feels he is being “attacked” by “anonymous members” of the F1 paddock, whom he claims to have “unmasked” in his own words. It’s already known that Toto Wolff has been in his sights for some months…
He also suggests that Liberty Media, the commercial owner of F1, would prefer to operate independently without the FIA’s regulatory involvement.
Ben Sulayem has faced accusations of sexism and intimidation, and is also at the center of a new storm involving the aborted investigation into Toto and Susie Wolff.
Ecclestone Defends FIA President
However, Ecclestone, who led FOM before the Liberty era, has defended the current FIA president.
“He just does things differently than before,” the 93-year-old told German magazine Sport Bild. “He also does things differently from me.”
“But in my eyes, he’s a straightforward man trying his best for the sport. His bad reputation comes from people not understanding him.”
“He’s just come to realize that people running a team in this sport are different from what he thought they were.”
For his part, Ben Sulayem insists he wants to work to calm tensions.
“We need to understand who I represent. And we’re not a service provider. I represent the head of the house.”
“But friction is sometimes healthy to bring out the best. It’s like with your body. If you wake up in the morning with pain, you at least know something is wrong.”
Ecclestone Supports FIA President for Ben Sulayem F1 2024. Ecclestone Supports FIA President for Ben Sulayem F1 2024.
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