President Mohammed bin Sulayem believes that the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) deserves more recognition – the FIA also comes off badly in financial terms
Formula One is booming. The sport’s elite and its ten teams are currently worth more than ever before and it feels like every country is currently vying to host a Grand Prix. This success is often attributed to Liberty Media, which has held the commercial Formula One rights since 2017.
FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem emphasizes in this context in an exclusive interview with the global edition of Motorsport.com, however, that the role of the automobile world association is given far too little attention.
“Liberty Media has done a great job in transforming Formula One. If you were to tell me that I could turn back time, would I undo it? Absolutely not. I wouldn’t undo it,” he emphasizes.
“But I would make sure that the FIA is on an equal footing with them,” said the FIA president-elect in December 2021, who emphasized that Liberty is ‘a good promoter’ and that he does not believe that anyone could currently do a better job.
“I support them in what they do. The FIA works with them in the best possible way,“ bin Sulayem clarifies. ‘But the regulations and administration is the job of the FIA,’ he emphasizes. Because that seems to be frequently forgotten.
”We never get the credit. Impossible,” he says, adding, ”We only get crap.” What he means by that is that the FIA’s achievements are given far too little public attention in his opinion. Instead, only negative things are ever talked about.
For example, there was recently renewed criticism of an FIA initiative to reduce swearing by Formula 1 drivers on the radio. World Champion Max Verstappen even threatened to resign after being fined by the FIA for using a swear word.
Another major annoyance for bin Sulayem is the finances. “Everyone has made money from the FIA, everyone except the FIA,” he emphasizes. He has no problem with everyone making money from Formula One. But he says the world governing body should also benefit from this.