Under-fire FIA president once replaced Fernando Alonso and crashed F1 car in eight seconds
Mohammed Ben Sulayem once stepped behind the wheel of an F1 car... with disastrous consequences.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been in the headlines plenty often in 2024, and often on controversial grounds. However, the outspoken FIA president made waves back in 2009 for wildly different reasons.
Ben Sulayem does have a driving background. He enjoyed significant success in the Middle East Rally Championship and between 1988 and 1995, he made 23 appearances driving for Toyota and Ford in the prestigious World Rally Championship.
However, this prowess did not translate into a positive single-seater experience. In 2009, long before he became president of the FIA, the Emirati official stepped behind the wheel of the previous year’s Renault R28 car to promote the first running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, scheduled for the season finale.
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The Yas Marina Circuit was still in development and with incumbent Renault drivers Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr both busy with the regular season, Ben Sulayem was called upon to take part in a promotional event at the Dubai Autodrome.
Ben Sulayem, who was the vice president of the FIA at the time, lined up for a drag race in the R28, alongside his own Ford GT, which was being driven by Renault reserve driver Julian Piguet.
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After the battle got underway, Ben Sulayem roared into the lead with the R28’s superior acceleration, but after lighting up the rear tyres he spun sharply into the inside pit wall, causing significant damage to the car and bringing a humiliating end to the event. The 62-year-old escaped the incident without injury.
Twelve years on from the crash, Ben Sulayem was elected as president of the FIA, taking over the mantle from Jean Todt after the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. His tenure has been marred by controversies though, and in 2024 he has been particularly outspoken.
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In a bid to establish his power after the FIA’s run-in with Max Verstappen in Singapore, Ben Sulayem told Motorsport.com: “I respect Max because I'm a driver. I was a champion and I respect winners and champions. I see he had his share [of media stick], but let's talk about me. If you look at the British media and what they did to me…
“For God's sake, they convicted me. They didn't accuse me [of anything], but they keep on [going]. And do I care? No. Why? Because what are they after? They are after selling and getting more coverage for them. Of course, yes. But they have no power over me and over the FIA.”
