FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is getting replaced by FIA single-seater chief Nikolar Tombazis soon.
The governing body of Formula One has been under controversy for so long. Some sexist old statements, allowing some new entries in the paddocks, and implementing rules against human rights, have created a bad image of Mohammed ben Sulayem. After the end of the 2022 Formula one season, controversies surrounded the president, finally making him take a step back from overseeing the sport. The note released by FIA claimed that the decision to change the President had been taken way before the controversy arrived. But is it true?
The very first thing that brought Sulayem under criticism was the decision to comment on the Saudi Arabian investment fund. The investment has been alleged to take over a bid from Formula One. This raised anger among the Liberty Media of Formula One owner. He started hurting in the eyes of a lot of important people! And this was even nothing when one of his archived statements on women got the light.
The president of FIA has been considered a sexist man who does not respect women. In an archived version of one of the old websites, Ben Sulayem said, “I do not like women who think that they are smarter than men.” After this statement got highlighted, Formula One fans started criticizing him at a level that somehow is destroying his reputation.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem Gradually Developing A Bad Image Of His.
Unfortunately, none of his acts are getting praised so far. First of all, in 2021, he implemented the cost cap budget, which was meant to bring financial stability to Formula One. The regulation made several teams like Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari erased. However, they later supported it because it was for a good cause. However, the later changes he made in technical terms remained a controversy. Mercedes technical director Mike Eliott suggested that these changes are not leading Formula One in the right direction.
In 2022, Mohammed Ben Sulayem not only ended the turbo hybrid era but also implemented several rules that seem like a direct target on the Mercedes star, Lewis Hamilton. Do you think that a nose pin that Hamilton wears should be considered ILLEGAL? No way! What benefit would it do to him? But FIA forbade all drivers from wearing any kind of jewelry.
When Hamilton continued wearing his nose piercing, the governing body considered it a rule break and charged a fine. However, later the seven-time world champion showed the doctor’s prescription that advised him not to remove the piercing as it was causing an infection in his nose. This ban seemed so targetful that even Sebastian Vettel had to agree.
The Freedom Of Speech At Risk After The Ban!
Not only the jewelry ban, but FIA also banned drivers from speaking about anything that is political. Anything that goes beyond the sport is not allowed to speak. Now prior permission will be needed before wearing the T-shirt that Hamilton wore in support of the Black lives matter campaign. He will have to take permission before wearing a helmet that is meant to promote LGBTQ+ rights. None of the drivers are happy with such anti-freedom of speech regulations. Several human rights groups came forward to protest FIA for the ban. Seems like the replacement of Mohammed Ben Sulayem was necessary for his inappropriate actions.
