'I always got on well with Ben Sulayem until he became FIA president'

It's been a while, but Guenther Steiner once worked in rallying. The Italian, best known for his time as Haas F1 team boss, got to know Mohammed Ben Sulayem during that time. "We had always a good relationship," Steiner said in an exclusive interview with GPblog. "But since he's President, you never know who you get."

Relationship between Ben Sulayem and Steiner changed

Steiner argues that Ben Sulayem is a fine person who you can have a nice conversation with. But Ben Sulayem, as FIA president, can be a totally different person. "I always got on very well with him until he became President," the Italian said, referring to some of the decisions the Emirati took for F1. For instance, it is known that F1 teams were not happy with the call for potential newcomers to apply for a place on the grid. Steiner, on behalf of Haas, was one of the opponents of expanding the F1 grid.

Ben Sulayem's first term ends in 2025, and he wants to add a second term to his tenure. "For sure he wants a second term. I don't know if Formula One wants him to have a second term, but Formula One doesn't vote for him. It's the members of the FIA voting for him. And as it is always, it's an election. And who wins the election, who is voted most, gets appointed. It's a democracy," Steiner said.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton