Russell demands answers in Ben Sulayem case: 'Total transparency needed'

Red Bull Racing have been dominating the front pages for a while now, but Mohammed Ben Sulayem has now also received the spotlight. The FIA president is the subject of an investigation by the motorsport federation's compliance officer. The Emirati is accused of interfering in the outcome of the Saudi Grand Prix a year ago. George Russell wants the bottom line on this.

At the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso received a 10-second time penalty. Although the Aston Martin Spaniard crossed the finish line in third place in Jeddah, that penalty cost him a trophy. But, in the end, the penalty was reversed, and Alonso retained his podium spot. A whistleblower has revealed to the BBC that it was FIA president Ben Sulayem who personally ensured that the two-time world champion was reinstated in his original finishing spot.

Russel calls for FIA transparency

Partly in his capacity as president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, Russell wants to know exactly what happened: "We want to see all of the facts and just have total transparency. We're all racing here. We want a fair and level playing field for us to showcase what we can do. I can't really comment further."

It had been precisely Russell who advanced to third after Alonso's initial penalty, a place he thus later lost again. "We were surprised a year ago when the result got overturned as the legal team at Mercedes thought they did a great job of presenting the case and initially winning the case and then losing it thereafter. So, we just want to see transparency and have the opportunity to race on a fair and level playing field," Russell said.