Hamilton sides with Wolff in Ben Sulayem legal fight

Lewis Hamilton has “never backed” Mohammed Ben Sulayem as FIA president, and supports Susie Wolff in launching criminal proceedings against the head of motorsport’s world governing body.

Wolff disclosed on Wednesday that she had lodged a case in the French courts on March 4 against Ben Sulayem, relating to the FIA’S short-lived conflict-of-interest investigation. Wolff runs the allfemale F1 Academy series, and is married to Toto, the Mercedes team principal.

“I’m incredibly proud of Susie,” Hamilton said. “I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values. She’s such a leader, and in a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message.

“I love that she’s taken it out of this world [the Formula One paddock], because there is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA, things that are happening behind closed doors.

“There is no transparency. There is really no accountability. We need that. I think the fans need that. How

can you trust the sport and what is happening here if you don’t have that? Hopefully this stand that she’s taking now will create change, will have a positive impact, and especially for women.

“It is still a male-dominated sport, and we’re living in a time where the message is: if you file a complaint, you will be fired. That is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world, especially when we’re talking about inclusivity here in the sport. We need to make sure we stay true to our core values.”

Wolff announced her case

against Ben Sulayem on social media just hours after the FIA said that its president had been cleared of interfering in last year’s F1 races in Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas following a “robust” investigation. The Wolff case and the allegations of interference are the latest controversies to blow up around the Emirati, who took over from Jean Todt in December 2021.

Hamilton, asked whether he was confident Ben Sulayem was still “the right man to be president of the FIA” and still “had his backing”, replied quietly: “He never has.”*