Bahrain Grand Prix tension likely as FIA makes Mohammed ben Sulayem decision

10 February 2023 , 18:47

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The FIA's popularity has been taking a beating of late (Image: Getty Images)

Mohammed ben Sulayem will attend the Bahrain Grand Prix despite pledging to take a back seat in the day-to-day running of Formula 1.

The FIA president wrote a letter to F1 chiefs earlier this week to announce he would be taking on a more "strategic" role, which meant that he will no longer play such a major part in the sport's governance. Nicholas Tombazis will now be the organisation's direct contact.

The governing body insists it was always the plan. However, it did not go unnoticed that the move came after a few weeks in which it – and Ben Sulayem in particular – were subject to much increased scrutiny.

There are still questions to be answered about the protest ban which has not gone down well with drivers. Plus, there was a legal threat from F1 lawyers over the president's public comments about the sport's value and the revelation of sexist remarks which were found on an archived version of his website.

Ben Sulayem's popularity with team bosses, which wasn't all that high to begin with, has now gone through the floor. There are suggestions that he might even struggle to hold onto his position despite still having almost three years left of his term.

Sebastian Vettel warns of looming F1 ban and is "very worried about the future"

While some in his position might choose to keep a low profile for a while, it seems Ben Sulayem has no interest in doing that. The FIA president plans to attend F1 races again this year, including the season-opener in Bahrain, along with newly-appointed chief executive Natalie Robyn.

FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem has faced plenty of criticism in recent weeks (Getty Images)

A meeting of the World Motor Sport Council is also due to take place in the Gulf country at the same time. Meanwhile, if it doesn't happen before, the FIA will be expected to provide further clarity to drivers over its move to ban "political, religious or personal" statements unless they are pre-approved.

Sergio Perez, Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas are among those who, in recent days, have criticised the move as an attack on their right to free speech. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has already pledged that he will not allow drivers to be "gagged" by the FIA.

"We have a huge opportunity because of the position of our sport which is more and more global, multicultural and multi-valued," he told the Guardian. "How we can allow the drivers to be open as human beings in our sport? Athletes can be very emotional and passionate about some things and they need to discuss that constructively with people they trust."

Daniel Moxon