The FIA has confirmed that President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been cleared following a probe into allegations made regarding interference in Formula 1 matters.
Ben Sulayem was placed under investigation when it was claimed that he had intervened to overturn a time drop handed to Fernando Alonso during a race last season.
The Spaniard was given a 10-second penalty in Saudi Arabia when Aston Martin mechanics touched his car while he served an earlier penalty, dropping him from third.
The FIA stewards overturned the decision once Aston Martin presented video evidence, but a whistleblower alleged that Ben Sulayem tried to influence the outcome.
It was claimed Ben Sulayem contacted the FIA Vice-President for Sport (Middle East) Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifa, who is the president of the Bahrain Motor Federation.
Meanwhile, the same whistleblower also alleged that Ben Sulayem attempted to prevent the Las Vegas Strip Circuit from being homologated to host its inaugural race.
But following a review from the FIA Ethics Committee that spanned 30 days and saw interviews held with 11 witnesses, Ben Sulayem has been exonerated of the accusations.
The FIA’s statement said: “Allegations against the FIA President were unsubstantiated and strong evidence beyond any reasonable doubt was presented to support the determination of the FIA Ethics Committee.
“The FIA President was cleared of any wrongdoing regarding allegations (i) to have interfered with the Stewards’ decision to reverse an additional penalty on Car 14 following a challenge from the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 and (ii) to have attempted to interfere with the track certification process for the Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023.
“The certification was completed and approved in due time.
“The President’s complete co-operation, transparency, and compliance throughout the process during this investigation was greatly appreciated.”
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