FIA release statement regarding the allegations involving president Mohammed Ben Sulayem

The FIA have released a statement after allegations against its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

FIA president Ben Sulayem is under investigation for allegedly interfering over an F1 race result.

The BBC have claimed that a whistleblower told the FIA that he intervened to overturn a penalty given against Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The outlet added that the claim is in a report by an IFA compliance officer to its ethics committee.

The FIA have now confirmed it is investigating allegations against Ben Sulayem.

The statement read: "FIA confirms that the Compliance Officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies.

"The Compliance Department is assessing these concerns, as is common practice in these matters, to ensure that due process is meticulously followed."

The allegations against Ben Sulayem is that he called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa, the FIA's Middle East and North Africa vice-president for sport, and disputed Alonso's penalty.

Mohammed Ben sulayem speaks to Max Verstappen during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Image: Getty

The Spanish driver was hit with a 10-second penalty for work done on his car following a five-second penalty for placing his car partially outside his starting box on the grid for the race.

He dropped from third to fourth after the second penalty, behind Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen and Mercedes' George Russell. The subsequent withdrawal of the ten point penalty saw Alonso return to a podium position.

SPORTbible have contacted Ben Sulayem and the FIA for comment.

Topics: Formula 1

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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