06/03/2025
NEWS STORY
David Richards, chairman of Motorsport UK is preparing to take legal action against Mohammed ben Sulayem amidst growing unease with FIA president.
Though he has only been in position since December 2021, in that time Ben Sulayem has managed to p***-off just about everyone.
It began with F1 itself, who at one time sent in its legal team, and since then he has targeted drivers, team bosses, the media, the British, fans and many within the FIA itself.
Now, having been barred from last week's meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, former F1 team boss and 1981 WRC winner, David Richards, chairman of Motorsport UK, the governing body for motorsport in Britain, is preparing to take legal action, while expressing concern that Ben Sulayem has failed to deliver on his 2021 election manifesto.
Richards was barred from last week's WMSC meeting, along with several others, including FIA officials, indeed its deputy president of sport Robert Reid, after they refused to sign a new confidentiality agreement drawn up by Ben Sulayem to halt ongoing leaks.
Richards 'suggests' that he was actually barred from the meeting because he intended to raise his concerns over Ben Sulayem's governance.
"For some time now I've had concerns about the erosion of accountability and good governance within the FIA," writes Richards in a letter sent to members of Motorsport UK. "As you may have seen in the press, an issue has recently emerged that has compelled me to take a stand and needs an explanation."
At the start of what is election year for the FIA presidency, Richards, who supported Ben Sulayem's candidacy in 2021, admits to becoming disillusioned and disappointed since he took office.
Ben Sulayem had Richards support because in his manifesto he had promised a "hands-off president who would be non-executive and delegate the day-to-day running of the FIA to a professional executive team", with the "appointment of an empowered and capable CEO to run the FIA to professional standards" and "full transparency of actions and the highest standards of sporting governance".
"I'm afraid that over the last three years there has been a distinct failure to meet these promises," the former BAR and Benetton team boss continues.
"In fact, the situation has progressively worsened with media reports confirming that numerous senior members of the FIA and volunteer officials have either been fired or have resigned under an opaque cloud.
"Furthermore, the scope of the Audit and Ethics Committees has been severely limited and now lacks autonomy from the authority of the president, while our UK representative, who challenged certain matters, was summarily removed along with the chair of the Audit Committee.
"Various techniques have also been deployed with the effect of limiting the proper function of the World Motor Sport Council, primarily the use of e-voting which removes the opportunity for much needed discussion and debate on key subjects.
"This has become increasingly worrying and the final straw for me, three weeks ago, was being asked to sign a new confidentiality agreement that I regarded as a 'gagging order'.
"The construction of this new confidentiality agreement does not comply with the Statutes of the FIA," Richards insists, "and contradicts the promise of transparent governance we had voted for.
"I therefore asked that we debate the matter at the World Motor Sport Council, which was just days away, rather than having it forced upon us as a condition of attendance.
"My request, along with those of a few other members who shared our views, was denied and we were barred from attending the meeting.
"This was in total breach of the FIA statutes that require all elected members be given full access to meetings. I should point out that I kept the Board of Motorsport UK fully informed throughout to ensure that I had their complete support.
"Our Motorsport UK lawyers, along with our French Legal Counsel, have challenged the FIA on their actions by setting out a clear set of questions that the FIA leadership needs to answer.
"It is very disappointing to report that we have still not received an answer to these or the fundamental question I raised: where in the FIA Statutes does it provide for an elected member to be barred from a meeting?"
"We have informed the FIA that unless they address the issues we've raised, we will be engaging in further legal action.
"In a year when the president will either be re-elected or a new one appointed, it is more important than ever to remind the FIA of their responsibilities and continue to hold them to account on behalf of the sport and their members worldwide, and that's what I intend to do."
It's fair to say that many, based on his manifesto, believed that Ben Sulayem would be a breath of fresh air, and this certainly looked to be the case when he took on F1 and its owners.
But over the years he has become more dictatorial, appearing to seek power well beyond his remit, even recently citing the FIA as a brand.
His treatment of the drivers already appeared to be heading for a showdown, but now, in election year, he faces opposition from within.
Mind you, how unusual to hear someone failing to deliver on their manifesto.