SEPTEMBER 15, 2025

Russia GP axe was FOM's call, says Ben Sulayem

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has insisted Formula 1's governing body was not behind the decision to drop the Russian GP.

Speaking to Sweden's Expressen, the controversial head of F1's governing body said the 2022 cancellation at the outbreak of the Ukraine war was a commercial decision made by FOM, Formula 1's Liberty Media-owned rights holder.

To be clear, it was FOM that made that decision, Ben Sulayem said. There was pressure on the FIA to flag and stop racing in Russia but I said I will not break the rules for anyone.

Asked if a return could be possible one day, he answered: "There is a difference between the commercial part of Formula 1 and motorsport. And we have to follow the guidelines of the Olympic Committee, we respect them. But let's hope.

Do you think the war will last forever? I hope not. There are many lives at stake, from both sides. I hate war, it's that simple.

The Emirati, who is facing an election challenge for the FIA presidency, warned against turning F1 into a money machine.

No, it's not just about sport, it's also entertainment and a business. But it can't continue if it's just going to be a money machine. Then you lose the soul of the sport. That would be the beginning of the end, he said.

Ben Sulayem has often clashed with the current ten teams, but also F1's commercial side, led by CEO Stefano Domenicali. While Domenicali recently ruled out room for a 12th team, Ben Sulayem says he will not shy away from fighting again after the Andretti-Cadillac saga.

The FIA did it and I had to take all the beatings. Am I willing to take the beatings again? Yes, if it's for the right reason, he said.

Do we need another team? No. We need the right team. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. But it would make things very interesting.

He also warned against excessive politicisation when choosing race hosts. If we think like this every time we have to choose a country, we won't go there because of this or that, then maybe we should just come back here to Sweden, and we can have everything, Ben Sulayem smiled.

We don't mix religion and politics. For us, it's about people and motorsport. But we would never take our people to places that are not safe.

Finally, Ben Sulayem lashed the British press for orchestrating brutal attacks against him.

Sadly, it's not always people hiding behind screens, sometimes it's journalists who want to sell more newspapers, he said. "I've never seen anyone more brutal than the British media.

They're so proud and say 'ah, we're so powerful that we managed to get our Prime Minister removed'. Is that really a success? A country without a Prime Minister for a long time is not good. It's about the best interests of the people.

(GMM)