According to the source, it involves the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in 2023. Ben Sulayem is said to have interfered and implored stewards to reverse a decision surrounding a penalty for Fernando Alonso. The 10-second penalty had been given for carrying out mechanical work on Alonso's car while the Spaniard was serving an original five-second penalty, which is an illegal offence.
Ben Sulayem is said to have instructed his right-hand man in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, to wave away Alonso's penalty. The penalty would have caused Alonso to drop to fourth place, leaving George Russell to take third in the race.
The BBC tried to verify this story with several senior officials within the FIA and although they did not want to go 'on the record', they confirmed this story. For now, the matter is before the FIA's ethics committee. A ruling is expected within four to six weeks.
Previous controversy surrounding Ben Sulayem
Ben Sulayem has not been known as the president with the cleanest slate since taking office in 2021.
He has been involved in controversies such as the conflict of interest within Mercedes around Susie and Toto Wolff, receiving a summons letter from Formula 1 management after a comment about the price tag attached to Formula 1 being "exaggerated", and a resurgence of misogynistic comments.
After all the controversies, Ben Sulayem decided to "take a step back" in terms of his leadership of Formula 1 in 2023. This was to help reinforce his stated goal of being a "non-executive president".
