The head of Formula One’s governing body is under investigation for allegedly interfering in the outcome of last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the BBC reported on Monday.
The BBC said it had seen a report by FIA compliance officer Paolo Basarri to its ethics committee in which a whistle-blower said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had intervened to overturn a penalty given to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
It said that Ben Sulayem called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the FIA’s vice-president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa, who was in an official capacity at the race.
Photo: Reuters
Alonso was handed back the 100th podium of his Formula One career after a U-turn by officials hours after the finish in Jeddah on March 19 last year.
The Spaniard had finished third, but was demoted to fourth by a 10-second post-race penalty for failing to serve properly a five-second penalty for an error in placing his vehicle on the starting grid. Stewards found the rear jack was in contact with the car before the five seconds were up.
The second penalty, imposed more than 30 laps after his pit stop, was then reversed when his team won a right to review after presenting new evidence to support their case.
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