Mohammed Ben Sulayem

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Mohammed Bin Sulayem)

Mohammed Ben Sulayem
President of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Assumed office
17 December 2021
Preceded byJean Todt
Personal details
Born (1961-11-12) 12 November 1961 (age 62)
Dubai, Trucial States (now United Arab Emirates)
Middle East Rally Championship
Years active1983–2002
TeamsFord, Toyota
Championship titles
14 X Middle East Rally Championship

Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem (Arabic: محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an Emirati former rally driver and current president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of many auto racing events including Formula One.

He is a former rally driver, and one of the most successful Middle East Rally Championship drivers, winning 14 titles. In 2005, he became the President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, the representative of the United Arab Emirates in the FIA. In 2008, he was elected as a Vice President for sport and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council. He was key to organizing the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009. In 2012, he was among the founding members and chairman of FIA sub-region of Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs. In December 2021, he was appointed as FIA President, succeeding Jean Todt.

Early life and education[edit]

Sulayem was born on 12 November 1961 in Dubai, Trucial States (now United Arab Emirates). He studied business at the American University in Washington D.C., and at the University of Ulster where he graduated with a bachelor's degree.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Sulayem is a prominent car collector and owns multiple supercars including Koenigsegg Agera, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lexus, Ford GT, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce.[2]

In July 2012, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster in recognition of his services to sport, civic leadership and charity.[3]

On 7 March 2023, Ben Sulayem's son, Saif Ben Sulayem, died in a road accident in Dubai.[4][5]

Racing career[edit]

Ben Sulayem competed in the Middle East Rally Championship driving for Toyota and Ford. He won his first title in 1986 with a Toyota Celica and went on to win six consecutive titles till 1991.[6] In 1994, He won his seventh title with a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. From 1996 to 2002, Ben Sulayem won a further seven titles with Ford, making the most successful driver in the championship with over 60 wins and 14 titles (both the records have since been broken by Nasser Al-Attiyah).[6]

Administrative career[edit]

In 2005, he became the President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, the representative of the UAE in FIA.[7] In 2008, he was elected as a Vice President for sport and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, and he was key to organizing the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009.[8] In 2012, he was among the founding members and chairman of FIA sub-region of Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs.[7]

In June 2013, he was appointed as the chairman of the new Motor Sport Development Task Force set up by the FIA to build a ten-year plan for the sport's global development.[9] In December 2021, he was appointed as the FIA President succeeding Jean Todt.[10]

Honors[edit]

Individual[edit]

Individual honors won include:[7]

Controversies[edit]

In 2009, during a promotional event for Renault F1 team in Dubai, Ben Sulayem crashed a Renault R28 Formula One car in a race against a Ford GT.[11]

Ben Sulayem allegedly told FIA officials to declare the Las Vegas circuit unsafe for racing and not certify the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit for its 2023 race.[12][13][14][15][16] Ben Sulayem is also under investigation for allegedly attempting to intervene in the results of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.[17] On 5 March 2024 the FIA confirmed its compliance officer has received two whistleblower complaints.[18]

In January 2023, The Times newspaper resurfaced comments Ben Sulayem made on his now archived website in 2001. The newspaper quoted Sulayem as saying he did not like "women who think they are smarter than men, for they are not in truth". The veracity of the quotes was not refuted by Sulayem, but the FIA defended him saying "the remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the president's beliefs".[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mohammed Ben Sulayem, profile (Report). Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  2. ^ "ECR Collection - The Mohammed Ben Sulayem Collection". Exclusive Car Registry. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Ulster Honours Gulf Rally Driver". Ulster. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Saif Ben Sulayem: FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's son killed in car crash in Dubai". Sky Sports. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  5. ^ "FIA president Ben Sulayem's son loses life in road crash". Motorsport.com. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Middle East Rally Championship winners". Motorsport Winners. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Mohammed Ben Sulayem, profile (Report). Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  8. ^ Cooper, Sam (24 January 2023). "Who is the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and where does he come from?". PlanetF1. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Who is new FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem – was he a former driver?". HITC. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Mohammed Ben Sulayem elected FIA President". FIA. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Rally champion wonders what went wrong in F1 crash". National News. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  12. ^ Benson, Andrew (5 March 2024). "Mohammed Ben Sulayem: FIA president allegedly told officials not to certify Las Vegas GP". BBC Sport. BBC.
  13. ^ Sarkozi, Kada. "'Ben Sulayem attempted to cancel Las Vegas GP last year'". GPblog.
  14. ^ McDonagh, Connor (5 March 2024). "FIA's Mohammed Ben Sulayem under more scrutiny as Las Vegas GP allegations emerge". Crash.
  15. ^ BHAGI, PRANAY (5 March 2024). "Mohammed Ben Sulayem Attempted to Cancel $1.2 BN Worth Las Vegas GP for Mysterious Reasons". Essentially Sports.
  16. ^ Gale, Ewan (5 March 2024). "FIA president facing fresh whistleblower allegations - report". Racing News.
  17. ^ Golding, Nick; Parkes, Ian (5 March 2024). "FIA President under investigation for alleged race interference". Racing News.
  18. ^ Fryer, Jenna (5 March 2024). "FIA confirms whistleblower complaints against president regarding Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas races". Las Vegas Sun.
  19. ^ Alan Baldwin (28 January 2023). "FIA defends Ben Sulayem after reported sexist comments". Reuters. Retrieved 30 January 2023.

External links[edit]

Sporting positions
Preceded by President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
2021–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by Middle East Rally Champion
1986–1991
Succeeded by
Mamdouh Khayat
Preceded by
Hamed Al-Thani
Middle East Rally Champion
1994
Succeeded by
Preceded by Middle East Rally Champion
1996–2002
Succeeded by