As a former rally driver, global motor racing’s head honcho knows a thing or two about commitment. His style is best described as… flat out, and he’s not one to allow Formula 1’s entrenched interests to dilute his vision for placing sport before business. Think you know what makes him tick? Think again – did you know he used to steal his dad’s car?
WORDS OLEG KARPOV PORTRAITS ANDY HONE
THIS IS MOHAMMED BEN SULAYEM
He’s quite a character. Since taking office, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been nothing like his predecessor. Whereas Jean Todt preferred to keep a low profile and shunned the media, the new FIA president isn’t afraid to speak his mind – not least when it comes to the patrimony he was handed by his predecessor. In fact, he makes it pretty clear that he’s not too impressed with what he’s inherited.
His style is not to everyone’s taste. And it’s fair to say that in the two years he’s been at the helm, he’s upset quite a few people in the F1 paddock. There are those who believe that the championship will be better off without the FIA and its new, often combative, Emirati president – and, for the first time in a decade and a half, there’s talk of a breakaway series.
Yet he’s also made it clear that he’s not there to be liked. He says he wants to reposition the FIA and insists he’s there to defend the interests of the sport, not business. He was the main protagonist behind the push to expand the grid, and there was no one lobbying harder to get Andretti into Formula 1 – despite clear opposition from Formula One Management (FOM) and the existing teams.
Like anyone with an agenda, he’s easy to interview – because he doesn’t need to be asked tricky questions to give strong answers. He will steer the conversation in the direction he wants it to go and won’t be bashful in talking about his own achievements, or his views on the role of the FIA. GP Racing sat down with Ben Sulayem in Abu Dhabi, a few hours before the final race of last season, to talk about his racing career, his first two years in the president’s chair, and his vision for the future of the FIA and F1.
GP Racing: Mr President, let’s start by talking about your path in racing. Where did your passion for motorsport come from?
Mohammed Ben Sulayem: I’ve always loved speed. As a kid I remember watching the speedometer, watching the driver and what he was doing with the pedals – and somehow it always made me feel good. I started driving when I was 10. In the summer we used to go to
