Mohammed Ben Sulayem

Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem (Arabic: محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an Emirati former rally driver and current president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile).

Mohammed Ben Sulayem
President of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Assumed office
17 December 2021
Preceded byJean Todt
Personal details
Born (1961-11-12) 12 November 1961
Dubai, Trucial States (now United Arab Emirates)
Middle East Rally Championship
Years active1983–2002
TeamsFord, Toyota
Championship titles
14 times FIA Middle East Rally Champion

He is one of the Arab world's leading motor sport figures. As President of the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates since 2006, he is a patron of a wide range of charities and ambassador for road safety in the UAE; supports motor sport officials' and young drivers' education, training and research to promote motor sport safety; co-edited an academic book on sports management; supporter of classic vehicle movement and automotive heritage.[1]

In 2008, he became the first Arab named as the Vice-President of the FIA, and the first to be elected to the FIA World Motor Sport Council. As the Vice-President, he has pioneered teaching, research and knowledge transfer initiatives in motorsport. In 2009, during a promotional event for Renault's F1 team, Ben Sulayem crashed a Renault R28 Formula One car in a race against a Ford GT. He was a key person in the formation and running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009.[2] In June 2013, he was appointed as the Chairman of the new Motor Sport Development Task Force set up by the FIA to build a ten-year plan for the sport's global development. In December 2021, he was appointed as the FIA President.

Education

Sulayem studied business at the American University in Washington D.C., and at the University of Ulster where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree.[3]

In July 2012, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster, in recognition of his services to sport, civic leadership and charity.[4]

FIA role

In 2008, Sulayem was appointed the Vice-President of the FIA and a member of the World Motor Sport Council.[5]

The FIA is the global sporting authority for motorsport and represents 100 million car owners in almost 200 countries. The World Motor Sport Council meets at least four times a year to decide on rules, regulations, safety and development of motor sport at every level, from karting to Formula One.

Headed by the FIA President, its membership is chosen by the FIA General Assembly, which contains representatives from national automobile clubs throughout the world.

In his FIA role, Sulayem has pioneered teaching, research and knowledge transfer initiatives in the UAE and elsewhere throughout the world.

In June 2013, he was named as chairman of the FIA's Motor Sport Development Task Force, with the responsibility to devise a strategic plan to develop and grow motorsport in a sustainable manner over the next ten years. It will be the first such plan in the 109-year history of the FIA, and Sulayem immediately started a consultation process with motor sport stakeholders, including manufacturers, the media, promoters, fans and FIA member clubs around the world. He will brief the World Motorsport Council on progress at its September meeting in Croatia, when the other members of the task force will be nominated. He will present the ten-year plan to the FIA General Assembly for approval at the end of 2014.

Sulayem is a founding member of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs, which aims to unite the FIA Clubs of Arabic-speaking territories.

In December 2021, Sulayem was elected president of the FIA, succeeding Jean Todt.[6]

In January 2023, Sulayem was embroiled in a sexism scandal after The Times newspaper resurfaced comments he made on his now archived website in 2001. The newspaper quoted Sulayem as saying he did not like "women who think they are smarter than men, for they are not in truth". The veracity of the quotes was not refuted by Sulayem, but the FIA defended him saying "the remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the president's beliefs".[7]

Personal life

On 7 March 2023, Ben Sulayem's son, Saif Ben Sulayem, was killed in a road accident in Dubai.[8][9]

Car collection

Sulayem is a prominent car collector in the UAE, known for his extravagant taste in hypercars. Sulayem's collection includes the following:[10]

References
  1. "FIAProfile". FIS.com. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  2. "Who is new FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem – was he a former driver?". HITC.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  3. "Mohammed Ben Sulayem". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  4. "Ulster Honours Gulf Rally Driver". www.ulster.ac.uk. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. Cooper, Sam (24 January 2023). "Who is the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and where does he come from?". PlanetF1. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. "Mohammed Ben Sulayem elected FIA President". FIA.com. FIA. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  7. Alan Baldwin (28 January 2023). "FIA defends Ben Sulayem after reported sexist comments". Reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  8. "Saif Ben Sulayem: FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's son killed in car crash in Dubai". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  9. "FIA president Ben Sulayem's son loses life in road crash". www.motorsport.com. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  10. "ECR - Collection - The Mohammed Ben Sulayem Collection". ECR - Collection - The Mohammed Ben Sulayem Collection. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  11. "ECR - Koenigsegg Regera details". ECR - Koenigsegg Regera details. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
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