Not for the primary time, FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, has recommended that the British media, particularly, 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 broadly criticised transfer which successfully sees him take management of the FIA’s ethics and audit committees.
“Three years of critics towards me. Do I care? Was I elected to hearken to the media? No,” he informed reporters. “I like the great media,” he added, “the constructive media and perhaps I make a mistake, and you may come and criticise me in an goal approach.”
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, 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 therapy of him, he replied: “Unfair!” including: “However the world is unfair. Saudi Arabia has reinvested quite a bit.
“You take a look at among the British media and so they go towards 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’s going to most probably 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 approach because it – to paraphrase Frank Sales space (Dennis Hopper) in Blue Velvet, it’s going to “promote something that strikes”.
In a lot the identical approach that some can be upset to see the Silverstone occasion renamed the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix, many will rue the rising 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.
