Who is Mohammed Ben Sulayem and why does he matter?
The president of F1's governing body is causing a stir with firm comments about his vision for F1.
Remember this name: Mohammed Ben Sulayem. You’re going to hear it a lot this year.
But who is he, why is he in the news, and why does he matter?
Ben Sulayem is the President of the FIA, the organisation that sets the rules of F1 and ensures the sport is run safely and fairly. He’s been in the role for about a year.
Already, Ben Sulayem has earned plenty of headlines thanks to his willingness to offer clear views on certain F1 matters, even if they differ from the views of F1 management.
For example, Ben Sulayem is enthusiastic about welcoming more teams onto the grid, something that F1 management - and existing teams - are cautious about.
More recently, Ben Sulayem issued a somewhat-furious response on Twitter to a Bloomberg news report that a Saudi Arabian fund wanted to buy F1 for $20 billion.
But, these tweets reportedly angered F1 management, which believed Ben Sulayem had commented on something outside his authority. A letter was sent to the FIA by lawyers from F1, according to various media outlets.
The worry now is that Ben Sulayem - and his willingness to be so public about what he wants for F1 - could cause unpalatable tension between the FIA and F1 management.
Meanwhile, Ben Sulayem also oversaw a new ban on F1 drivers making political statements without written permission.
“One thing we don’t want is to have the FIA as a platform for private personal agenda,” Ben Sulayem said, according to The Guardian.
Some feel such a stance is directed at seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who is a vocal advocate for human rights and equality.
So why does Ben Sulayem matter?
As FIA President, Ben Sulayem wields a lot of power in deciding how F1 is run.
For example, last year he initially blocked a bid by F1 to increase the number of sprint races.
Using his power like this, Ben Sulayem is breaking the historical norm of F1 management and the FIA being united on issues.
The different responses to the Andretti Cadillac F1 team news are also a perfect example of the lack of unity.
The worry now is that Ben Sulayem - and his willingness to be so public about what he wants for F1 - could cause unpalatable tension between the FIA and F1 management.
Unfortunately, that could then lead to murmurings of boycotts and break-away series.
That’s an outcome no one wants after F1’s booming growth in recent years.