Lewis Hamilton Reveals He has “Never” Supported FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem

If it wasn’t evident by now, the off-track drama in Formula 1 is more exciting than the on-track product. Earlier, there was controversy surrounding FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He was subjected to an investigation, on grounds of manipulation of the results of the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP and also the clearance granted to the Las Vegas circuit. However, he has since been cleared of wrongdoing, but some people are still not convinced. Among them is 7-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton. This has largely to do with F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff.

Earlier this year, she and her husband Toto Wolff were subjected to an investigation about a ‘conflict of interest’. Obviously, the couple was not amused, and she proceeded to file a criminal complaint against the FIA. Of course, there has been an outpouring of support from the F1 community and one of them was Hamilton. The Mercedes star applauded her ‘brave’ move and even took a dig at how the earlier case of Christian Horner was handled.

Lewis Hamilton calls for more accountability and transparency

Upon being questioned whether he thinks Ben Sulayem is the right man to lead the FIA and if Sulayem still has his backing, Hamilton simply said as reported by The Telegraph, “He never has”.

The 7x champion also spoke about the actions taken by Susie Wolff against the FIA. “I’m incredibly proud of Susie. I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values. She’s such a leader, and in a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message. I love that she’s taken it out of this world, because there is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA, things that are happening behind closed doors. There is no transparency. There is really no accountability. And we need that. I think the fans need that.”

To be honest, this was a pretty bold statement from someone who is practically the face of Formula 1. This all comes off the back of drama regarding Red Bull’s Christian Horner. That has dragged on for a while, and there seems to be no resolution in sight. Ben Sulayem’s own investigation did not help matters either, and that was yet another can of worms.

What were the Ben Sulayem accusations?

For the uninitiated, the current FIA president was facing two serious charges. Apparently, he was accused of allegedly interfering with the results of the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP. Additionally, there was an alleged attempt at canceling the inaugural Las Vegas GP in 2o23. Ben Sulayem maintained his silence on the Saudi Arabian GP events but opened up on the Las Vegas saga.

One wouldn’t have blamed him for floating the idea, considering the events that took place. However, a whistleblower claimed that Ben Sulayem tried to “find fault with the track in order to withhold the license”. His justification was that the track was not ready in time, so he entertained the idea of not approving homologation. However, his on-track team gave the green signal and the weekend was underway. Now though, this vote of no-confidence from Hamilton would be a big blow.

READ MORE: Mohammed Ben Sulayem Cleared of Interference Charges by FIA’s Independent Investigation