FIA president gives up control in dramatic letter to F1 team bosses

Ben Sulayem said he would only concentrate on “strategic matters” going forward, with director of single-seater racing Nikolas Tombazis taking over the “day-to-day” running, in a letter seen by British newspaper the Daily Mail - which was sent to F1 team bosses on Monday afternoon.

According to the Daily Mail, Ben Sulayem wrote: “My stated objective was to be a non-executive president via the recruitment of a team of professional managers, which has now been largely completed.

“Therefore, going forward, your day-to-day contact for all matters on F1 will be with Nikolas (Tombazis, director of single-seater racing) and his team, while I will focus on strategic matters with my leadership team.”

Despite taking more of a back seat from F1, the report goes on to say that Ben Sulayem is expected to remain in his role as FIA president amid an apparent desire from some quarters for him to resign.

The 61-year-old Emirati took a centre-stage approach throughout the 2022 season and regularly made podium appearances and engaged with drivers on the grid.

"The President’s manifesto clearly set out this plan before he was elected," an FIA spokesperson told Crash.net. 

"It pledged “the appointment of an FIA CEO to provide an integrated and aligned operation,” as well as to “introduce a revised governance framework” under “a leadership team focused on transparency, democracy, and growth.” These goals, as well as the announcement of the new structure of the Single-Seater Department, have been planned since the beginning of this Presidency.

"The FIA President has a wide remit that covers the breadth of global motor sport and mobility, and now that the structural reorganisation in Formula 1 is complete this is a natural next step."

It has been a difficult start to the year for Ben Sulayem, who has found himself embroiled in separate controversies.

Ben Sulayem received an explosive letter from F1 chiefs in response to comments he made about the value of the world championship last month.

That was days before he caused a sexism storm after historical misogynistic remarks he made about women, originally published 20 years ago on a now-archived version of his website, emerged.

Multiple figures from the FIA's world motorsport council have raised concerns with Ben Sulayem and offered advice after recent controversies, according to Sky Sports.