Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the President of the FIA, has been cleared of allegations of interference in Formula 1 matters. The investigation was launched following claims that he had intervened to overturn a penalty given to Fernando Alonso during a race last season. Alonso had received a 10-second penalty in Saudi Arabia, which dropped him from third to fourth place, when Aston Martin mechanics touched his car while he was serving a previous penalty. However, FIA stewards reversed the decision after Aston Martin presented video evidence. A whistleblower alleged that Ben Sulayem tried to influence the outcome by contacting Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifa, the FIA Vice-President for Sport (Middle East) and President of the Bahrain Motor Federation. The same whistleblower also claimed that Ben Sulayem tried to prevent the Las Vegas Strip Circuit from being approved to host its first race. After a 30-day review by the FIA Ethics Committee, which included interviews with 11 witnesses, Ben Sulayem was found innocent of the charges. The FIA stated that the allegations were unfounded and that there was strong evidence to support the Ethics Committee’s determination.
