FIA Thread

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Wouter
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Jean Todt has responded with his version of events in an extended interview with French publication L’Equipe.

Former FIA President hits back at Mohammed Ben Sulayem claims

Former FIA President Jean Todt has addressed assertions made by Mohammed Ben Sulayem after taking charge of the governing body.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem asserts a large financial deficit at the FIA


This time last year, Ben Sulayem claimed that he had inherited a large financial deficit at the FIA – an immediate issue he had to address after succeeding Jean Todt as the president.

“There was a financial issue that we didn’t know about,” he said, as reported by Motorsport.com at the time.
“We had a deficit, even before the [COVID-19] pandemic, but I’m pleased to have cleared that.
“We never had a CEO for 118 years and if we want to deal with the challenges that’s going on, I cannot go and micromanage.
“When you go to the CEO, you’re talking about policies, you’re talking about managing the structure, you’re talking about the day-to-day running of the FIA, and you’re talking about the finance.
“We all know and I’ll be very honest with you, we had an issue with the finance. We had a deficit this year, which was over $20 million.”

“When I left, there must have been more than €250 million in reserve,” Todt said about Ben Sulayem’s comments.
“I will be clear. Each year, the accounts have been largely profitable, except the last two years, marked by the COVID-19 crisis, which could have taken away the Federation.
“When I arrived in 2009, there were barely €40m, although the FIA had just ceded the commercial rights to F1 for a hundred years a few years earlier.
“I don’t call it a deficit. When I left, the budget had been multiplied by almost three, with many new competitions and sources of income, such as Formula E, the World Endurance Championship, or the Rally Raid Championship.”

Ben Sulayem was also not impressed by the fact that immediately following his ascent into the presidency, he had to worry about a court case after a suit was filed in the United States over a potential patent infringement by the FIA over the Halo cockpit protection system, brought about by Jens H.S. Nygaard.

“Imagine yourself being elected in the role after all these years of trying, everybody having a party on the night of the 17th (December),” Ben Sulayem said. “Then you go to the office on the 18th and 10 a.m., the first thing you meet is your legal people and they say you have a big court case with the halo.
“We cannot talk much about it, but the feeling I had was not good. But you go on, it’s huge but I’m very happy that a month ago (in November 2022) that was cleared.
“It was a big burden on my shoulders because as president, it would have affected us in a very legal, financial way. Now it’s behind us, and the Halo is patented to the FIA, so that’s good.”

Todt’s response to these comments was that Ben Sulayem simply couldn’t have been caught unawares by the case.

“It is true that we left one dispute unfinished when I left, the Halo trial,” he said.
“But it wasn’t swept under the rug. It was well documented and monitored by our services; we presented it to the Senate and the World Council before I left, and the current president attended this presentation.
“This was a lawsuit brought in Texas by an engineer who owned a patent that was only valid in the United States and for a short time. So when I left, there was nothing secret. And only one ongoing case, that one.
“But I wasn’t surprised, I knew who my successor was. I know the character.
“There is no point in launching into allegations especially when they are false.”

Jean Todt: Everything I put in place has been turned upside down

But Todt denied that he was being critical of Ben Sulayem, explaining that he felt he was simply explaining the reality of the situation from his perspective.

“No, it doesn’t matter to me. And then it’s smoke,” he said when asked if he was annoyed by Ben Sulayem’s comments. “I start from the principle that, when one chapter closes, another opens and we do not allow ourselves to attack its predecessor. Whether leaving Peugeot, Ferrari, or the FIA, I never said a bad word. There is no point in launching into allegations, especially when they are false.

“The reality is what I just told you. And I will add something regarding the revenues of the FIA: it was under my presidency that the Hundred Year Agreement and Concorde Agreements between the FIA and F1 were renegotiated before Liberty Media became the owner of the FOM (Formula One Management)
“Without going into detail, I can tell you that the income received by the Federation has very clearly increased compared to before. And its position in the governance of F1 has also been restored. It now has a third of the votes, along with FOM and the teams. It’s night and day with previous agreements.

“You can’t stop someone from criticising or disagreeing. But everything I have done during my presidency has always been approved by the Senate and the World Councils.”
But, having been in position as the FIA’s leader for well over a decade, he said he felt the direction Ben Sulayem has taken the governing body is very different.
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ValeVida46
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Why does the FIA no longer publish it's financial statements every year, as they did under Todt?

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Wouter
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ValeVida46 wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2023 11:24 am
Why does the FIA no longer publish it's financial statements every year, as they did under Todt?
.
They still do.

Here you go. https://www.fiafoundation.org/resources ... ments-2022

file:///C:/Users/aabro/Downloads/fia-foundation-financial-statements-2022.pdf
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ValeVida46
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Wouter wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2023 12:22 pm
ValeVida46 wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2023 11:24 am
Why does the FIA no longer publish it's financial statements every year, as they did under Todt?
.
They still do.

Here you go. https://www.fiafoundation.org/resources ... ments-2022

file:///C:/Users/aabro/Downloads/fia-foundation-financial-statements-2022.pdf
Thanks. I was searching the FIA proper...FIAFoundation is where it resides I see.

So the larger question is why MBS would be spitting at Todt when Todt left a healthy cash balance.

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Wouter wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2023 10:02 am
Jean Todt has responded with his version of events in an extended interview with French publication L’Equipe.
Revealing and useful, thanks for sharing.
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Wouter
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Steve Nielsen: FIA sporting director quits after less than a year in the job

Steve Nielsen has resigned from his role as sporting director of Formula 1's governing body the FIA less than a year since being appointed.
He was appointed in January 2023 with a mandate to improve the FIA's race control operations after a series of controversies in recent years.
No reason has been given for Nielsen's departure but sources say he was unhappy with several parts of his role.
Nielsen, 59, was unavailable for comment when approached by BBC Sport.

F1 insiders have told BBC Sport that Nielsen felt the FIA was not willing to make the changes he felt were required to make its race-control operations fit for purpose.
The teams and drivers all backed Nielsen's move to the FIA and are likely to be dismayed by his decision to leave, and concerned about its potential ramifications.
At the Belgian Grand Prix this year, Mercedes driver George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said Nielsen had been "a really great addition" to the FIA's operations team.

Nielsen's departure, communicated to the FIA internally on 21 December, is the second from a senior role in the governing body in the last two weeks.
On 13 December, Deborah Mayer resigned from her position as head of the FIA's commission for women.
The FIA did not respond to a request for comment on the subject of either Nielsen or Mayer.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/67804122
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organic
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/67906883
Leading engineer Tim Goss has left his role as the single-seater technical director of motorsport's governing body the FIA, BBC Sport can reveal.

Goss, who is expected to join a Formula 1 team, is the third senior figure to quit the FIA in the last month.

His resignation follows that of sporting director Steve Nielsen and the departure of the head of the FIA's commission for women, Deborah Mayer.

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https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/68465516

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, under investigation for alleged attempt to interfere over F1 race

There are allegations he attempted to overturn the penalty of Fernando Alonso at Saudi Arabia 2023 and there is now an investigation into the matter

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organic wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2024 5:32 pm
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/68465516

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, under investigation for alleged attempt to interfere over F1 race

There are allegations he attempted to overturn the penalty of Fernando Alonso at Saudi Arabia 2023 and there is now an investigation into the matter
The man seems unable to keep himself out of trouble.
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dans79 wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:03 pm
organic wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2024 5:32 pm
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/68465516

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, under investigation for alleged attempt to interfere over F1 race

There are allegations he attempted to overturn the penalty of Fernando Alonso at Saudi Arabia 2023 and there is now an investigation into the matter
The man seems unable to keep himself out of trouble.
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chrisc90
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Mess with the Bull - you get the horns.

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chrisc90 wrote:
Mon Mar 11, 2024 8:30 pm
If he wins this, that'll setup a nice precedent for Lewis to also collect a huge payday for the theft/manipulation of his 8th title in 2021. Not that he needs the money, but the legal foundation will be there for him to submit a slam dunk case.

In Massa's case (NPI), I think it's valid for him to collect the amount he's requesting. As far as "he would have won the WDC", we all know there was much more to it than that. If crashgate happened at the LAST race of the season, then sure, he should have been the champ, but as it happened... only a lawsuit is fair for him.
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chrisc90
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Also opens up a LOT of other sporting decisions that may/may not have gone a drivers' way though.
Mess with the Bull - you get the horns.

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TFSA
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cheeRS wrote:
Mon Mar 11, 2024 8:54 pm
If he wins this, that'll setup a nice precedent for Lewis to also collect a huge payday for the theft/manipulation of his 8th title in 2021. Not that he needs the money, but the legal foundation will be there for him to submit a slam dunk case.
No it doesn't. I don't want to derail the thread, so I'll just make this one post on this.

The 2008 case is alledging that the FIA and F1 kept secret that they knew of race manipulation, and as such, could have intervened, but chose not to because it would look bad for the sport. In short, it alledges corruption.

2021 was a race director making a bad call. Nothing more, nothing less. But stewards determined it was within the interpretation of the rules, and Mercedes decided - on their own - not to appeal it to the tribunal, which means they've forfeited the right to get it reviewed there by their own decision not to appeal it.
And finally, even if Abu Dhabi was cancelled, Max would still be champion.

And can we now please put this argument about this opening up the doors to have 2021 revoked to make Lewis champion to rest. Those are two entirely different cases. 2021 is not gonna be changed, no matter the outcome of the Massa case. Legally, they are not similar in any way.


chrisc90 wrote:
Mon Mar 11, 2024 8:55 pm
Also opens up a LOT of other sporting decisions that may/may not have gone a drivers' way though.
It really doesn't.

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chrisc90
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Guess it would also mean that Lewis drops down to 6 WDC's, if successful
Mess with the Bull - you get the horns.