Ben Sulayem rejects criticism of F1's 2026 rules: 'The main mission of the FIA is fairness'
Photo: Race Pictures
Ben Hunt is an award-winning motorsport journalist with over two decades of experience in Formula 1 and international media. As a former editor-in-chief and bestselling author, he delivers in-depth analysis and strategic insight from the highest level of the sport.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has rejected criticism of Formula 1's 2026 technical regulations. In an exclusive interview with GrandPrix247, he said fairness is still the governing body's priority and argued that the teams themselves had backed the move towards electrification.
His comments were published on Thursday, the same day the FIA announced the findings of its review into the software bug that caused chaos before the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang. However, it is worth noting that the interview was carried out at Sepang before the race, so Ben Sulayem was not responding to the formation lap problems.
Ben Sulayem: Teams had been asleep
Ben Sulayem explains that the power unit direction was decided before he took office in 2021. "I inherited the consultations on the power unit. They were working in one direction, which was electrification. It was already 16 months of work," he said.
Asked what matters most, he gave a one-word answer and then went further, suggesting that the teams now struggling had only themselves to blame.
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The technical regulations were given to all the teams at the same time, without favouring any team. I asked some of the teams why they had not started. I asked them what had happened. They confessed that the teams had been asleep. The FIA has to come back, restore the balance and be fair. We are using it in a better, smarter way.- Mohammed Ben Sulayem to GrandPrix247
This is not the first time he has taken that line. In May, Ben Sulayem told Forbes that criticism of the rules came mainly from teams who were further back. Two months later, after drivers spoke out at Spa, his tone was softer. "We also make mistakes," he told Viaplay at the time.
Alonso and Hamilton praised
Ben Sulayem also talked about the older drivers on the grid. He was clear that the decision on Fernando Alonso's future should belong to the Spaniard alone:
Fernando Alonso is one of the greatest drivers. I said it very clearly in Madrid: I don't think he should be leaving because he is defeated by his car or his engine, or because he has to. If he leaves, he should leave not because he has to, but because he wants to. He is still working, like Lewis Hamilton. The younger drivers are there too.- Mohammed Ben Sulayem to GrandPrix247
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The wide-ranging interview also included questions on the online abuse aimed at Lando Norris after his crash with Franco Colapinto, as well as artificial intelligence and V8 engines. Ben Sulayem has spent months pushing for V8s to return. GPblog reported earlier on his promise in which he said 'I am committed to bringing V8s back to F1'.
FIA points to software bug at Sepang
The FIA's own review of the Sepang start blamed a "software bug", with the software parameters teams use to cut power in wet conditions were found to be the cause. The full details of the report were published on Thursday.
Speaking after the race, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said: "We didn't manage to test the software as extensively as we would have liked, because there's been very little wet running this year."
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