Muhammed Ben Sulayem’s Potential Replacement Ready after Toto Wolff Fiasco Raises Questions on FIA’s Management

Looks like the Wolff-FIA problem might be reaching a tipping point real soon. Amidst already rumours of Liberty looking to split from FIA thanks to the current president, and the sexist remarks, a name has come up to replace Muhammed Ben Sulayem. The writing looks like it’s already on the wall, at least according to the BBC.

According to different sources, particularly from the Daily Mail, the “institutional attack” against Toto Wolff is allegedly the doing of Ben Sulayem. The sources suggest that the president targeted the Mercedes Team principal for multiple differences of opinion. If this allegation has any base, it looks like Ben Sulayem’s days are numbered.

Toto Wolff Fiasco Exposes the FIA

The attack on the Wolff family did not last very long. A mere two days was enough for all the ten teams (highly competitive teams) to come together in solidarity with the Mercedes boss. However, this “investigation” was enough to expose one fatal flaw in the chinks of the FIA: the lack of transparency and accountability. This is the exact chink that Toto might be going after in his potential lawsuit as well.

As the ship sails on Muhammed Ben Sulayem, another name has risen in the midst of this controversy, as a potential replacement for the president. Sources suggest that the British, former rally driver Robert Reid, is currently the second in command at FIA, and looks poised to take over.

Notably, Robert Reid has held the vice president position since 2021, having previously served similar duties at the WRC Commission and Closed Road Commission before. It is important to note that his name has come out merely from the examination of the current chain of command, where he has been serving as Ben Sulayem’s deputy since 2021. Apart from this, there is no significant evidence that he has put up his name for the running.

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Despite this, he might be forced to do so soon. As mentioned earlier, Liberty Media isn’t exactly happy with the way that Ben Sulayem has been running things.

Liberty Media Patience Wears Thin

While all this commotion was happening, reports have already been released suggesting that Liberty Media’s patience is wearing thin with the way that FIA is handling things right now. According to sources, Ben Sulayem is considered detrimental to the sport, which could trigger severe consequences.

“A number of sources have told BBC that if FIA president Ben Sulayem continues to act in a manner, senior figures considered to be detrimental to the sport, F1 owners Liberty Media would lose patience and consider breaking away from the FIA,” a tweet from RBR daily reads.

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If these rumors are indeed true, there’s no imagining what the future of the sport will be. Formula 1, without the FIA, would be quite an interesting experiment.