Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the President of the FIA, has been cleared of allegations of interference in Formula 1 matters. The investigation was launched after claims were made that he had intervened to overturn a time drop given to Fernando Alonso during a race last season. Alonso had received a 10-second penalty in Saudi Arabia, which dropped him from third place, when mechanics from Aston Martin touched his car while he was serving an earlier penalty. However, the FIA stewards reversed the decision after Aston Martin presented video evidence. A whistleblower alleged that Ben Sulayem had 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 had attempted 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 has been found not guilty of the accusations. The FIA stated that the allegations were baseless and that there was strong evidence to support the determination of the Ethics Committee.
David Sanchez, the former Technical Director of Car Concept and Performance for McLaren Formula 1, has left the team due to his seniority in the role. McLaren made...
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