gbuff

Same with Felipe Massa's dad, just there for support and joy.

skl

Yes, and I'll never forget the look on his face and how it changed on that last lap at Interlagos....

Mike Roblin

Where’s the sad emoji for this? I still remember this like yesterday

gbuff

That was awful, as was when that spring came flying off Barrichello's car and drilled him in the face at Hungary in '09. I thought the worst.

thebishman

A rational mind could never see a scenario where JV even has a remote chance of becoming RB Team Principal, but in JV’s sociopathic mindset it’s a strong possibility that he believes the current winning ways of RB are due to his ‘creation’ of his son’s unbelievable talent.

Nowanker

AND he bags the girl too.

multi21

It's hard to imagine this particular FIA president being in his current position for much longer given the issues with Toto and Susie Wolff that were found to be untrue and now two separate accusations of interference.

| Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, reportedly instructed officials not to certify the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The president of Formula 1's governing body, allegedly instructed officials not to certify the Las Vegas circuit for its race last year, according to a whistleblower.
This same whistleblower previously accused Ben Sulayem of allegedly pressuring officials to overturn a penalty for Fernando Alonso in Saudi Arabia last year.
The whistleblower claims they were instructed "on the behest of the FIA president" to find a reason not to deem the circuit safe for racing.
These allegations are detailed in a report by the FIA's compliance officer to its ethics committee, which BBC Sport has reviewed.
A FIA spokesperson said: "From a sporting and safety perspective, the Las Vegas circuit approval followed FIA protocol in terms of inspection and certification.”
"If you recall, there was a delay in the track being made available for inspection due to ongoing local organiser construction works."
The report cites the whistleblower stating that they were contacted by their manager, who, acting on behalf of the FIA president, instructed them to identify concerns to prevent the FIA from certifying the circuit before the race weekend. According to the compliance report, the whistleblower alleges that the objective was to identify faults with the track to justify withholding the license.
It adds: "Asked to be more specific, [the whistleblower] said that issues on the circuit were meant to be artificially identified regardless of their actual existence, with the ultimate goal of withholding the licence."
The whistleblower said they tasked an official with performing this task, and named two further officials who were in the room at the time.
The motive behind Mohammed Ben Sulayem's alleged desire for FIA officials to refuse certification for the Las Vegas track remains unclear.
The Las Vegas race was a significant event for F1, with commercial rights holder Liberty Media investing at least £500 million in the event to promote the sport in the US and globally.
However, tensions between Liberty Media and the FIA had been brewing for two years leading up to the Las Vegas race, with Ben Sulayem reportedly seeking increased financial compensation from F1 for the FIA's services.
The contract between the two parties entails F1 paying the FIA approximately $40 million annually for its regulatory duties in governing F1.
A spokesperson for F1 declined to provide a comment.
VIA: [BBC]

Carlo_Carrera

Ben Sulayem is a trust fund kid. He has never had a real job in his life. He is way over his head in his current position.

Mike Roblin

Fake it till you make it!

trygve

This was an interesting read, a journalist's account of a sponsor-paid trip to the USGP at COTA -- for some reason Road & Track published and then quickly removed it. Archived.

Behind F1's Velvet Curtain

It was referenced here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style...k-kate-wagner/

Carlo_Carrera

Saudi’s to build another F1 track.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/for...etre-tall-ramp

goin2drt

Sure seems like he knows something about motorsports.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Middle East Rally Championship Years active 1983–2002 Teams Ford, Toyota Championship titles 14 X Middle East Rally Championship Mohammed Ben Sulayem
President of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Incumbent Assumed office
17 December 2021 Preceded by Jean Todt Personal details Born 12 November 1961 (age 62)
Dubai, Trucial States (now United Arab Emirates)Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem (Arabic: محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an Emirati former rally driver and current president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of many auto racing events including Formula One.

He is a former rally driver, and one of the most successful Middle East Rally Championship drivers, winning 14 titles. In 2005, he became the President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, the representative of the United Arab Emirates in the FIA. In 2008, he was elected as a Vice President for sport and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council. He was key to organizing the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009. In 2012, he was among the founding members and chairman of FIA sub-region of Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs. In December 2021, he was appointed as FIA President, succeeding Jean Todt.

Early life and education[edit]

Sulayem was born on 12 November 1961 in Dubai, Trucial States (now United Arab Emirates). He studied business at the American University in Washington D.C., and at the University of Ulster where he graduated with a bachelor's degree.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Sulayem is a prominent car collector and owns multiple supercars including Koenigsegg Agera, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lexus, Ford GT, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce.[2]

In July 2012, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster in recognition of his services to sport, civic leadership and charity.[3]

On 7 March 2023, Ben Sulayem's son, Saif Ben Sulayem, died in a road accident in Dubai.[4][5]

Racing career[edit]

Ben Sulayem competed in the Middle East Rally Championship driving for Toyota and Ford. He won his first title in 1986 with a Toyota Celica and went on to win six consecutive titles till 1991.[6] In 1994, He won his seventh title with a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. From 1996 to 2002, Ben Sulayem won a further seven titles with Ford, making the most successful driver in the championship with over 60 wins and 14 titles (both the records have since been broken by Nasser Al-Attiyah).[6]

Administrative career[edit]

In 2005, he became the President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, the representative of the UAE in FIA.[7] In 2008, he was elected as a Vice President for sport and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, and he was key to organizing the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009.[8] In 2012, he was among the founding members and chairman of FIA sub-region of Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs.[7]

In June 2013, he was appointed as the chairman of the new Motor Sport Development Task Force set up by the FIA to build a ten-year plan for the sport's global development.[9] In December 2021, he was appointed as the FIA President succeeding Jean Todt.[

ProCoach

Horner just filed suit against Rubython and F1Business magazine for their 19-page article that even names the woman.

This, in combination with the fact that the RB investigation was triggered and asked for by Horner himself makes me think something really stinks around this mess.

If his position was untenable, why would he go to all this trouble?

Given that the original press reports came from Dutch papers, it still just looks like a concerted effort by Marko and Jos the Boss to push out Horner.

Sheesh.

Carlo_Carrera

I still don't understand what Marko's beef with Horner is?

Carrera51

Shows that the world is full of really stupid people and they often end up in charge of things. Why on earth would you go and mess with a team that is dominating it's sport? Not just winning. Dominating. Like him or not, Horner has been at the helm since 2005. He obviously knows how to spot talent and assemble a team that delivers results. Championships bring in the sponsor dollars. As Al Davis said, "just win baby."

If this was all some sort of BS coup to run Horner out of town, then I hope he wins his lawsuit.