Ex-Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle has joined the vast majority of the Formula 1 paddock currently in shock, after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem relinquished the role of handling the “day-to-day” running of the pinnacle of motorsport.
Brundle simply tweeted “wow” after the news broke, with the pressure potentially starting to get to the FIA president, following a turbulent few weeks.
Ben Sulayem is certainly not in the sport’s good books as it stands, with the president having infuriated the owners and the teams with recent comments.
In the last few weeks alone, Ben Sulayem has infuriated the teams by announcing that two new sides could join the grid from 2025, has angered Liberty Media after labelling a $20 billion offer to buy the sport as “inflated”, and recently had sexist comments from over 20 years ago resurface.
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As if this wasn’t enough, he also publicly shared his support for Andretti-Cadillac’s entry to join the pinnacle of motorsport.
As a result of everything that’s happened, it’s been reported that Liberty Media have had enough of Ben Sulayem’s tenure, with the American company having identified former Motorsport UK boss David Richards has a potential replacement.
Ben Sulayem has certainly been tested following his comments, with Sky Sports’ Craig Slater having reported that senior figures at the World Motor Sport Council had “offered their advice to Ben Sulayem in the past couple of weeks”.
According to Slater, the senior figures “voiced their concerns” to Ben Sulayem, with his leadership having been questioned.
The “day-to-day” running of Formula 1 will now be done by FIA head of single-seaters, Nikolas Tombazis; however, Ben Sulayem is still expected to attend some races despite having switched his focus to other matters.
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Ben Sulayem relinquishing his position is something that the FIA have previously suggested, with the current president having released a statement confirming the changes.
“We have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making significant, informed changes to our Formula One team to create the right structure with the right people to oversee the future regulation of the sport,” Ben Sulayem said.
“By developing and empowering people within our organisation, as well as bringing in expertise and experience from the outside, I am confident that we are in the best position possible to move forward together with our partners at FOM and the Formula One teams.”