Just hours into his new role, FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem promises that lessons will be learned from the Abu Dhabi fiasco.

Taking over the reins from Jean Todt as FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem found himself embroiled in the fall-out from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the outset.

The evening before the election, Ben Sulayem was present at the prize-giving gala which runner-up, Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff had chosen to boycott. Next day, having polled almost twice the votes of rival nominee Graham Stoker, Ben Sulayem found himself in demand as the question of last weekend's events continue.

In one of his final acts as president, Jean Todt launched a commission which will investigate what happened at the Yas Marina last weekend and the aftermath, the FIA having admitted that the affair has "tarnished" the sport's image.

"We will look into the rules and we are sure that, if any situation like this occurs in the future, we will have an instant solution for it or avoid it even," said Ben Sulayem.

"There are many areas that we can improve," he admitted. "We cannot just sit and say we are good. No, it's not enough in a sport as heavy, I would say, and as important.

"There is always a place for improvement," he continued. "We just have to look where can we improve. If you talk to me about the credibility of the FIA, yes, we lie on good structures, and good teams."

Referring to race director, Michael Masi, whose position has become almost untenable in the wake of the media and fan criticism that followed the event, Ben Sulayem is adamant that there will be no knee-jerk reaction or bowing to outside pressure simply for the sake of it.

"Why do we jump? We'll have to actually look into the matter," he said. "I definitely will not just jump to a conclusion on decisions without going back to my team."

"I have a meeting with the staff, and I will look into every single matter that can be improved," he added.

Looking ahead, as the sport enters a new era, with a new man at the helm of it governing body, he said: "One thing is that I will devote myself, I am not going to have any other job except being the President of the FIA.

"I stepped down from all of my other responsibilities, I am not going to do anything else," he added, "and I'm not going to be a burden on the FIA. I will concentrate with passion, with the right team, and I have a good team, and we are asking for even a better team. This is why the FIA is credible."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by f1khun, 20/12/2021 0:43

"@RRZX-14
the man was just elected. Jeez, your comments are premature, and immature."

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2. Posted by Pavlo, 18/12/2021 20:28

"I welcome the words of the new president and give him a benefit of a doubt. He is just elected, it’s not right to decide on the spot based on emotions, it’s right to learn the situation and try to make well-thought sustainable decision.
We know what happens if they decide quickly without thinking. They have all the time till the first race in 2022, they’d better use it."

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3. Posted by turbolach, 18/12/2021 16:15

"first thing I hear from the new fia boss: hamilton will be punished if in breach of fia rules.

Will the fia then also punish itself for their breach of rules in abu dhabi?
Perhaps a fine relative to the gravity of the infraction/
Altering the outcome of the championship, bringing the fia in disrupt, should translate into a pretty penny.
after all, it's more serious than caressing a spoiler.

the sad truth of the matter is that it was world news on sunday, totally irrelevant on monday"

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4. Posted by RRZX-14, 18/12/2021 14:33

"Bla, bla, bla...deeds not words."

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New FIA President promises lessons will be learned from Abu Dhabi

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