Lewis Hamilton was spotted snubbing an embrace from Mohammed Ben Sulayem after the Bahrain Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion has been unimpressed by the FIA president during his first term in the role. Hamilton enjoyed a positive race at the Bahrain GP, recovering from a disappointing P9 qualifying performance to finish fifth, one spot behind team-mate Charles Leclerc. The experienced Brit leapfrogged the likes of Kimi Antonelli, Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen in the process.
After stepping out of the cockpit in Parc Ferme, Hamilton headed toward the weighbridge to complete his mandatory post-race responsibilities. He came across Ben Sulayem, arms outstretched, waiting to embrace the Ferrari driver. The Brit had other ideas, though, and gave him a pat on the side before continuing on his way.
Given Hamilton’s previous comments about Ben Sulayem, this action is not a surprise. The 40-year-old called out the FIA chief after the short-lived investigation into Susie Wolff last season. That decision landed the Emirati official in hot water, with the wife of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff commencing legal action against the sport’s governing body.
Prior to last season’s Australian Grand Prix, the former Mercedes driver was asked whether Ben Sualyem still had his support. He replied bluntly: “He never has,” before adding: “There is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA.
“There are things that are happening behind closed doors, there is no transparency, there is really no accountability and we need that. The fans need that. How can you trust the sport and what is happening here if you don’t have that?”
Hamilton doubled down on his criticism of Ben Sulayem after the FIA president compared swearing F1 drivers to “rappers”. The 62-year-old has been on a mission to stamp out foul language in the paddock, much to the disdain of some of the sport’s stars.
“I don’t like how he’s expressed it,” Hamilton professed. “Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical and if you think about it, most rappers are black. So really pointed it towards we’re not like them. So I think that was the wrong choice of words. There’s a racial element there.”
The feud between Hamilton and Ben Sulayem first dates back to 2022, though, when the FIA chief forced the Brit to remove a nose stud, clamping down on jewellery at the race track. He later fined the seven-time world champion £42,000 for skipping the end-of-season prize-giving gala.
