Ben Sulayem believes he was “condemned” by the English media

Recently, Adrian Newey gave his opinion on the media coverage of Formula 1, explaining that some media outlets had a significant role in demonizing drivers by quoting Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

The British technician, who has now left the Red Bull ship, had pointed out how the British media, giving the example of Sky Sports, had unfairly treated the Dutchman, especially after the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen, for his part, reacted in Baku, indicating that he was in total agreement with Newey’s comments.

Asked about the former Red Bull engineer’s remark in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.comMohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the FIA, declared “respect” Verstappen : “Because I am a driver. I have been a champion and I respect winners and champions [Ben Sulayem a remporté le championnat du Moyen-Orient des rallyes à quatorze reprises]”.

The president of the international body seems to have taken the Verstappen case to heart, believing that he too had been targeted by the British media, particularly regarding his legitimacy at the head of the FIA.

“I see that [Verstappen] I’m the dose [de critiques]”he continued. “But let’s talk about me. If you look at the British media and what they did to me… For God’s sake, they condemned me. They didn’t accuse me [de quoi que ce soit]. But they continue. And do I care? No. For what ? Because what do they want? They want to sell and get more visibility. Of course, yes.”

“But they have no power over me and the FIA”he stressed. “With all due respect to the British media or any other media, they do not have the right to vote. We are an independent, democratic federation. It was the members who elected me. The power lies with the general assembly, not to them.”

“And you know what? Can we stop this nonsense, get back to business and do what’s best for the sport? Can you? I ask you. If they [les médias] don’t want to do it, that’s their business. But life goes on”added the FIA ​​president, shrugging his shoulders. “You know what they did to me? They made me stronger. I’m more careful now and wiser.”

“And I have the support [des membres de l’assemblée]. And if members decide it’s time to change presidents, that’s up to them. In the end, who nominated me? It’s the general assembly, it’s the members. I am very, very clear about this. And if they’re not satisfied, it’s up to them to choose [et de nommer quelqu’un d’autre].”

“But I don’t respond to anyone, I don’t respond to you much [les médias] and I don’t fight back. For what ? Because I don’t have time. I’m so busy meeting the demands of members and motorsport.”

Ben Sulayem, who hopes to be re-elected president of the FIA ​​at the end of next year, is convinced that the federation is in better health today than at the end of 2021, when he took office.

“Honestly, [la FIA est] 100% [sous son meilleur jour]”he said. “And there are so many things that have come into play. Internally, they are now efficient. Things are implemented more quickly. And we are back to our mission [principale]which is to listen to the members. If you remove the members, there is no more FIA. It’s very simple.”

“The FIA ​​is in better shape, the FIA ​​is healthier. And the F1 teams also need a strong and healthy FIA. Because no one wants to spend [de l’argent] in a championship that is not managed.”

Regarding his goals for the remainder of his first term as FIA president, Ben Sulayem said: “For this year, it’s just about finishing the season on a high note. And we’re on the right track. We’ve brought the FIA ​​back to where it belongs. And it’s not by firing and cutting people, but by generating more revenue and making others fair to us, repositioning and reforming the FIA ​​and returning to our mission [de base].”

“And one other thing: if anyone wants to race with me [pour la présidence], [je serais] more than happy”he added.“We talked about democracy. It’s democracy all the time, not part of the time. So I’m more than happy [d’affronter quelqu’un d’autre].”