Former FIA President Jean Todt has responded to claims made by current President Mohammed Ben Sulayem that he left the FIA with a financial deficit at the end of his tenure.
Todt, formerly Team Principal at Ferrari, served three terms as FIA President before being succeeded by Ben Sulayem in 2021, shortly after the controversial conclusion to that year’s Formula 1 title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Ben Sulayem has been on record stating that one of the challenges he’s faced during his presidency thus far has been the FIA’s finances, speaking of a deficit in the region of $20 million and a patent dispute surrounding the Halo device.
Now, Todt has hit back at those claims in an interview with L’Equipe that paints a different story.
“When I left, there must have been more than 250 million Euros in reserves,” Todt told the French outlet.
“When I arrived in 2009, there were barely 40m [Euro], although the FIA had just ceded the commercial rights to F1 for a hundred years a few years earlier. I don’t call it a deficit.”
Todt also spoke on the founding of multiple racing series during his time as FIA President which strengthened the governing body’s financial position.
“When I left, the budget had been multiplied by almost three, with many new competitions and sources of income, such as Formula E, the World Endurance Championship or the Rally Raid Championship,” he added.
Whilst Todt and Ben Sulayem appear to hold opposing views on the FIA’s financial situation in 2021, the former opened up regarding the Halo lawsuit, admitting its validity, but claiming no secrets were being held regarding the situation.
“It is true that we left one dispute unfinished when I left, the Halo trial,” Todt said. “But it wasn’t swept under the rug.
“It was well documented and monitored by our services; we presented it to the senate and the world council before I left, and the current president attended this presentation.
“This was a lawsuit brought in Texas by an engineer who owned a patent that was only valid in the United States and for a short time.
“So when I left, there was nothing secret. And only one ongoing case, that one.
“But I wasn’t surprised, I knew who my successor was. I know the character.”
Todt claimed that claims made against his presidency don’t “matter,” but feels like “there is no point in launching into allegations” as he continued to defend his time with the FIA.
“I start from the principle that when one chapter closes, another opens and we do not allow ourselves to attack its predecessor,” Todt issued.
“Whether leaving Peugeot, Ferrari or the FIA, I never said a bad word. The reality is what I just told you.
“And I will add something regarding the revenues of the FIA: it was under my presidency that the Hundred Year Agreement and Concorde Agreements between the FIA and F1 were renegotiated before Liberty Media became the owner of the FOM (Formula One Management).
“Without going into detail, I can tell you that the income received by the Federation has very clearly increased compared to before.
“And its position in the governance of F1 has also been restored. It now has a third of the votes, along with FOM and the teams.
“It’s night and day with previous agreements. You can’t stop someone from criticising or disagreeing. But everything I have done during my presidency has always been approved by the senate and the world councils.”
It’s no secret that during Ben Suayem’s tenure, there have been numerous incidents where the FIA and Formula 1 have crossed swords.
FOM criticised the FIA President for commenting on rumours of a Saudi Arabian bid for F1’s commercial rights, the FIA and F1 teams are opposed on the matter of an 11th team in the sport and more recently the governing body came under heavy scrutiny for its handling of a ‘conflict of interest’ claim made against Toto and Susie Wolff.
Whilst Todt spoke largely about his own FIA Presidency, he did have a comment for his successor.
He concluded: “Everything that was put in place during my mandate was turned upside down.”
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