Interview: FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem

‘This position was not allowed to any person from outside certain European countries [before]. I am not there to break the barriers, we believe in inclusion and I felt I am the right person to do a better job for the FIA and the members. People say: “are you enjoying what you are doing?” Yes, I do. But it’s not going to be smooth all the time. You get the politics, and they get good politics, normal politics and dirty politics. You just have to avoid getting involved. I should not go and be elected if I’m going to be affected by whatever is said about me. So what I’m saying is, I am there to serve.’

And the cause you are serving can be complicated in an F1 political scene that’s built around three pillars: the FIA as regulator, Liberty Media as commercial rights holder and the 10 teams. Political savvy will be tested with a series of upcoming challenges.

First up, there’s the application process for new teams that is close to completion that puts Ben Sulayem at odds with Liberty Media. Then there’s the looming cost-cap controversy with widespread rumours that one or more teams will be found to have overspent in 2022. Stefano Domenicali, F1’s CEO, recently challenged the FIA to give harsh sporting penalties to any team breaching the cost cap. This follows Red Bull’s breach last year, which earned it a $7 million fine and a 10 per cent reduction in its wind tunnel time for a 12-month period concluding in late October.

That was hugely controversial, with rivals complaining it was a soft punishment and Red Bull arguing it was draconian. What was obvious at the time was that the first breach was dealt with relatively delicately, and as Ben Sulayem points out, ‘it was a new test for us all last year’. The stakes are higher this time around and it’s important to note the vast resources put into collating and scrutinising the documentation produced by teams to test their cost cap compliance. Last year, that cap was set at $140m (albeit with much spending excluded), but tracking down every last cent is not easy.

It will be down to the FIA to hand down any punishments, something that can’t fail to be controversial. Given punishments can stretch from the trivial to the catastrophic, much will depend on the severity of the offences. Here, Ben Sulayem tried to place the FIA above the petty bickering between teams and hinted that while he’s open to serious penalties, it’s not in the interest of the sport to paralyse any competitor that has transgressed.

‘What is the purpose of the penalty?’ asks Ben Sulayem. ‘The purpose is not to break or to humiliate someone. Without mentioning names [they say] “you should do this, you should do that, give whatever penalty”, but that is because of the rivalry between them. It’s the competition. I get “charge them millions and millions”, but we are not here for that.’

The decision will come down to more than just a potential fine and could be critical for F1. The cost cap is central to F1’s ongoing financial health, with a long-term opportunity to make the racing closer and more exciting. It wouldn’t be a stretch to argue the whole financial model of F1 could be threatened if too much action is taken against cost-cap transgressors or, indeed, not enough.

Longer term, there’s also the contentious question of the 2026 regulations. The power unit rules already exist, with a 50/50 split of turbo V6 power to hybrid, with the latter set at 350kW, although there has been some pushback amid fears the technology isn’t up to an even split with some, notably Red Bull, calling for the electrical share to be reduced.

Then there’s the coming debate about the car regulations, with plans to move to active aerodynamics to reduce drag and improve racing. The FIA writes the rules, but F1 has a big influence and this is another area of push and pull, albeit one where Ben Sulayam is keen to underline his collaborative approach. Fortunately, there is some common ground with one sensory consideration in particular literally music to the ears of fans of screaming engines.

‘When we spoke about the regulations, I was new so I always went back to Stefano and said, “do you know about this?” And he said, “yes”. We consulted and talked with the teams. We do agree on certain things. One is sound. It is boring with the new sound. We need that entertainment, I want to hear it before I see it, I want this F1 car to just tell me “I am coming”. That charismatic sound has to be there. Second, I feel that the cars are heavy.’

The cars will be louder and slightly lighter in 2026, although the chassis regulations are still being hammered out. Ben Sulayam is happy to work with F1 on these, but the fact that the FIA makes the rules is non-negotiable.

While F1 is the major battleground, the FIA’s sporting brief stretches far beyond. Ben Sulayem, both as a rally competitor and administrator, sees the motorsport world in broader terms and is aware he needs to avoid F1 becoming the sole focus. That’s doubly important given the FIA’s mobility activities (particularly road safety and sustainability) are a larger proportion of its work than motorsport.

As he points out, growing motorsport worldwide was part of his election manifesto, pointing to largely untapped markets in India and China. And he has an idea for how to do that.

‘It is true that maybe one discipline is taking the whole exposure of the FIA,’ says Ben Sulayem of F1. ‘Yes, it is consuming but I find myself adjusted to that and do not complain. But there are other important disciplines.

‘There is no one-size fits all [for development], it’s impossible. The manifesto I was elected on is very clear, the growth of motorsport. Can we grow motorsport with expensive vehicles? We need to make it accessible. Look at the manufacturers in China: 50 per cent of the EVs in the world are Chinese. You have a 1.4 billion population and fewer than 8000 competition licences. Then you go to Finland with a 5.9 million population with over 12,000 licences.

‘I believe it is only down to cost. So we need to make affordable cars, make it accessible. You make a blueprint and tell them “this is the safety [requirement]” because when it comes to the FIA it’s “safety, safety, safety” then you can put whatever engine in. The most expensive part is the heart, the engine. And then you can build from it. This is very important for us when it comes to growth, this is the grassroots of motorsport.

‘Then you have the World Rally Championship. We have to look into our calendar and how we can help have a better relationship between the promoter and the organisers. We are discussing Formula E for the future and we have the World Rallycross Championship, which needs a lot of attention because it went totally electric, became so expensive and then the manufacturers left, so we are in the wilderness. Any next deal that we do has to be long-term. We have to be much more careful because we cannot rely only on the promoters. The FIA has to have a say.’

That last sentence sums up Ben Sulayem’s approach in a nutshell. He’s willing to be a loud voice pushing the FIA’s agenda. And with the new Concorde Agreement, the tripartite agreement that holds F1 together, up for renewal in 2026, he’s going to have to be for the rest of his first term as FIA president.

He’s not chosen the easy path, but he has opted for the one he believes best serves an FIA that has ceded much ground to F1’s commercial leadership in the 21st century.