“This is certainly not a positive development,” Helmut Marko told the Austrian “Kronenzeitung”. The 80-year-old, head of motorsport at the Red Bull racing team for two decades and mentor to world champion Max Verstappen, was referring to the allegations against Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the world association FIA. His statements also accurately described the current atmosphere at Red Bull.
Both topics are causing more excitement in Formula 1 before the second Grand Prix of the season on Saturday in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia than the sporting situation: Red Bull won 21 of 22 races last season, and Verstappen also triumphed at the season opener in Bahrain. After a race without highlights, he crossed the finish line first, 22 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez.
What is the FIA boss accused of?
Ben Sulayem is said to have interfered in the outcome of the race in Jeddah last season. According to information from the British broadcaster BBC, the former rally driver from Dubai personally intervened to have a time penalty imposed by the race stewards on Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso reversed.
If the penalty had stood, the Spaniard would have slipped from third place on the podium to fourth place. There is speculation about the FIA President’s possible motives. Aston Martin is sponsored by the Saudi oil company Aramco. The company, one of the world’s largest in terms of sales, is also one of the largest donors to Formula 1.
The FIA only confirmed that the ethics committee was examining a report with detailed allegations against “certain members of the management bodies”. A result will be available in four to six weeks.
According to media reports, there are further allegations against FIA boss Ben Sulayem. Last season, the 62-year-old is said to have demanded, without any valid arguments, that approval be refused for the new race track in Las Vegas, a prestigious FIA project. The president’s financial behavior is also reportedly being investigated.
What’s going on behind the scenes at Red Bull?
The affair surrounding team boss Christian Horner also continues to cause unrest. The Red Bull Group’s statement did not change this after an employee’s complaint against Horner for inappropriate behavior was dismissed. An independent lawyer had previously examined the allegations.
But immediately after the case was supposedly closed, 79 files with screenshots were leaked to journalists and Formula 1 team bosses. They showed alleged emails from Horner to the employee with juicy content. Horner has been married to British singer Gerri Halliwell, who once became famous with the girl group Spice Girls, since 2015.
Jos Verstappen, father and manager of world champion Max Verstappen, sharply attacked Horner in the Daily Mail newspaper. “It can’t go on like this. It will explode,” said the former Formula 1 driver, whose relationship with Horner is said to have been strained for a long time.
This has given new fuel to speculation about his son Max Verstappen’s move to Mercedes. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari in 2025, freeing up his Mercedes cockpit. Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, but apparently contains an exit clause.
What does this all mean for the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia?
The unrest in Formula 1 before the fourth edition of the race in Jeddah comes at an inopportune time for the Saudi organizers. They would like to offer a Formula 1 race without any annoying background noise. Like the season opener in Bahrain, the race in Saudi Arabia will be held on Saturdays (March 9) due to the fasting month of Ramadan, which begins next Sunday (March 10).
Neither the Horner affair nor the allegations against your FIA president play a role in the country’s state-controlled media. Instead, there is widespread reporting about the upcoming women’s race as part of the Grand Prix. A Saudi driver is also starting with a wildcard for the first time: 32-year-old Reema Juffali.
For years, human rights organizations have accused the government of Saudi Arabia of sportswashing: they want to distract from the poor human rights situation in the country with glossy sporting events.
The country has been investing for years not only in Formula 1, but also in other sports such as football and golf. The Football World Cup is scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia in 2034.