Not for the primary time, FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, has steered that the British media, specifically, has an agenda the place he’s involved.
Attending the Dakar Rally, Ben Sulayem took the chance to hit out on the media after a 12 months of controversy which has seen extra comings and goings on the sport’s governing physique than at Pink Bull, to not point out a broadly criticised transfer which successfully sees him take management of the FIA’s ethics and audit committees.
“Three years of critics in opposition to me. Do I care? Was I elected to hearken to the media? No,” he advised reporters. “I like the great media,” he added, “the optimistic media and perhaps I make a mistake, and you may come and criticise me in an goal means.”
After all, the media shouldn’t be there for PR functions, and the truth that throughout his tenure Ben Sulayem has given the media loads of ammunition, and within the final 12 months even the drivers have joined within the criticism, calling on the FIA president, amongst different issues, to not deal with them like kids.
In a curious, virtually sinister twist, for causes recognized solely to himself, Ben Sulayem then went on to say sponsorship of the British Grand Prix.
Requested how he would describe the media’s remedy of him, he replied: “Unfair!” including: “However the world is unfair. Saudi Arabia has reinvested quite a bit.
“You take a look at a few of the British media and so they go in opposition to Saudi Arabia or me. However one factor I’d say, go on and see the British Grand Prix. Is it the British Grand Prix? No, it’s the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix. Please, you take away the finances, you take away the cash.”
Reality is, it can most definitely be F1 itself, and thereby Liberty Media, which could have offered title sponsorship of the British spherical of the world championship, in simply the identical means because it – to paraphrase Frank Sales space (Dennis Hopper) in Blue Velvet, it can “promote something that strikes”.
In a lot the identical means that some shall be dissatisfied to see the Silverstone occasion renamed the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix, many will rue the growing affect the oil wealthy nations have on the game, their races seemingly protected while the likes of Spa-Francorchamps is pressured to host races on a rotational foundation.
