FIA's Ben Sulayem tells Alonso he can't quit F1 uncompetitive — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said at a Madrid event on Friday that it would be "not acceptable" for Fernando Alonso to leave F1 due to poor performance, insisting: "He has to be successful and then he leaves whenever he wants, not because he was forced to leave because of the performance."
- Fernando Alonso, the 45-year-old two-time world champion, is out of contract with Aston Martin at the end of this season and said on Thursday his decision on whether to stay would be made "not soon."
- Aston Martin sit 10th in the constructors' championship this season with an uncompetitive car, and engine partner Honda's power-unit is the least powerful on the grid.
- Ben Sulayem said he had spoken to Alonso at the Spanish Grand Prix, telling him he looked "very sad," and disclosed the FIA took legal steps in May to enable engine upgrades through the additional development and upgrade opportunities (Aduo) system.
- The Aduo system allows engine manufacturers whose power-units are assessed to be more than 2% behind the best to upgrade their designs, and an FIA spokesperson confirmed that was what Ben Sulayem was referring to.
- An FIA spokesperson walked back the comments when pressed on whether Ben Sulayem was overreaching, saying he is "passionate about the drivers" and urging people "not read too much into this," despite his presidency already being marked by controversy over removing checks and balances in governance.
Why it matters: The FIA president's intervention — quickly softened by his own spokesperson — into a team's competitive standing raises fresh governance questions during a tenure already marked by controversy over stripping checks and balances. For Alonso, a looming end-of-season contract decision hangs over a driver sitting 10th with the grid's weakest engine, more than 2% off the pace.
Ask SkimNews
