Former F1 driver and Sky Sports reporter Martin Brundle voiced his state of utter shock at recent developments which has seen FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem leave the role of handling the “day-to-day” running of F1.
Brundle simply tweeted saying ‘wow’ after the news broke.
Ben Sulayem has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks and it appears like the pressure may finally be getting to him.
The FIA president has infuriated owners and stakeholders after his recent comments that suggested the arrival of two news teams in 2025.
Not only this, he said anyone who would label F1 being a $20 billion sport was being unrealistic. This undoubtedly would have agitated F1 owners Liberty Media.
If that wasn’t enough, in the midst of all this, videos of him using sexist terms from over two decades ago also resurfaced around the same time.
— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) February 8, 2023
This has all contributed to a rather uncomfortable time for Ben Sulayem and it may be argued that his decision to step down from “day-today” management of the sport may be a case of him feeling some heat.
Will Ben Sulayem be replaced?
It has been suggested that Liberty Media is already on the lookout for a new candidate and has identified Motorsport UK boss David Richards as a likely successor to Ben Sulayem.
Sky Sports reporter Craig Slater suggested that senior members had “voiced their concerns” about Ben Sulayem’s leadership.
As things stand, the day-to-day running will now be handled by FIA head of single-seaters, Nikolas Tombazis.
Ben Sulayem is still likely to feature at some races though, but not all.
Here is Ben Sulayem’s statement in full:
“We have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making significant, informed changes to our Formula One team to create the right structure with the right people to oversee the future regulation of the sport,” Ben Sulayem said.
“By developing and empowering people within our organisation, as well as bringing in expertise and experience from the outside, I am confident that we are in the best position possible to move forward together with our partners at FOM and the Formula One teams.”
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