FIA president threatened with legal action over WMSC controversy

Mar.6 (GMM) The FIA is plunging deeper into controversy as Motorsport UK chairman David Richards has issued a scathing open letter, threatening legal action against the organisation and its embattled president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Richards, well known in the Formula 1 paddock, describes it as an “erosion of accountability and good governance”, following a contentious recent World Motor Sport Council meeting where he and FIA deputy president for motorsport Robert Reid were barred from participating after refusing to sign a stringent non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

The FIA claimed the NDA was standard practice to protect confidentiality, but Richards’ letter, published in Motorsport UK’s online magazine, paints a starkly different picture.

“The final straw came when the president attempted to impose what amounted to a gagging order on WMSC members, backed up by threats of immediate 50,000 euro fines for any breach,” he wrote.

He accused Ben Sulayem of reneging on promises of transparency and hands-off leadership made during his 2021 election campaign, adding: “Over the last three years, there has been a distinct failure to meet these promises, with the situation progressively worsening.”

Richards’ threat of legal action raises fresh doubts about the legitimacy of decisions made at the February meeting, including a new rule mandating two-stop strategies for the 2025 Monaco GP.

The unrest comes at a pivotal time for Ben Sulayem, who faces a potential challenge in the FIA presidential elections scheduled for December. Rumours are intensifying that Susie Wolff, boss of the all-female F1 Academy series and wife of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, may run against him.

The speculation gained traction after 1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill publicly endorsed her, saying on Instagram that she would be “perfect” for the role.

Wolff’s potential candidacy follows a bitter clash with Ben Sulayem in 2023, when he launched a short-lived conflict-of-interest probe into her and her husband – a move she branded “intimidatory and misogynistic” before filing a criminal complaint against the FIA in France.

Italian magazine Autosprint has suggested the investigation was a pre-emptive strike by Ben Sulayem, aware of Wolff’s rumoured presidential ambitions.

An FIA spokesman dismissed the latest uproar, insisting the NDA was “overwhelmingly supported” by others. However, Richards’ letter suggests a broader revolt may be brewing, with the Motorsport UK boss lamenting an “exodus of senior members and volunteer officials” under Ben Sulayem’s reign.