Not for the primary time, FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, has urged 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 Crimson Bull, to not point out a extensively 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 informed reporters. “I like the nice media,” he added, “the constructive media and perhaps I make a mistake, and you’ll come and criticise me in an goal method.”
After all, the media just isn’t 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, nearly 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 loads.
“You have a look at a number 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 should more than likely be F1 itself, and thereby Liberty Media, which may have bought title sponsorship of the British spherical of the world championship, in simply the identical method because it – to paraphrase Frank Sales space (Dennis Hopper) in Blue Velvet, it should “promote something that strikes”.
In a lot the identical method that some might be disillusioned 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 secure while the likes of Spa-Francorchamps is compelled to host races on a rotational foundation.
