The president of the International Automobile Federation, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, states that he does not care about his popularity despite the many criticisms targeting his controversial presidency.
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The Emirati leader, recently re-elected for a second term, is regularly the subject of controversies related to the governance of the FIA, his tensions with the teams, and recurring conflicts with the actors of Formula 1.
But in an interview with Forbes, Ben Sulayem clearly explained that he does not consider seeking popular support as part of the FIA’s role: “People do not understand what the FIA is. The FIA is a federation. We have 245 members in 149 countries. The FIA is not only Formula 1.”
Not meant to be popular
The president reminds that F1 represents only a part of a much larger organization that oversees many disciplines of global motorsport: “Formula 1 is a world championship under the authority of the FIA. We have karting, rally, rally-raid, GT, Formula E, and many other championships.”
Ben Sulayem believes that the FIA’s main mission is above all to ensure fair and impartial governance, even if that sometimes makes the institution unpopular with fans: “Our mission is to be fair to everyone and to do what is best for the sport. You know, I will never have fans.”
According to him, the criticisms often come directly from sporting decisions made by the stewards: “When our referees — the stewards — impose a five-second penalty for a driver error, it is simply the prescribed sanction. And then, people get angry,” he explains.
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But he insists: the Federation is not meant to seek the approval of the general public: “We are not here to have fans. We are here to be fair to everyone. We do not need fans. We need respect. We must be fair and transparent.”
Guardian of sporting fairness
The FIA president also strongly defended the federation’s central authority in a context of recurring tensions with Liberty Media and some teams: “If the FIA disappears, Formula 1 disappears with it. It’s very simple. Without the FIA, there is no Formula 1.”
Ben Sulayem points out that promoters, teams, drivers, and even presidents change over time, while the FIA remains the permanent institution that guarantees the existence of the championship: “Promoters can change. Teams come and go. Drivers come and go. Presidents come and go. But the FIA will always remain.”
And he concludes with a particularly direct statement: “You can remove me, Formula 1 will continue to exist. But remove the FIA, and there is no more Formula 1. It’s as simple as that.”
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