The FIA came under fire late last year, after announcing serious limitations to the drivers and team’s expression of opinion regarding all non-sporting matters. Asked about these new guidelines during a visit to the Dakar rally in the competition’s rest day, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem explained the Federation’s stance, insisting that, “If there is anything you want, you ask for the permission. You can use sport for peace reasons and all of this, but one thing we don’t want is to have the FIA as a platform for private personal agenda. They are so good at it, and they make the business, they make the show, they are the stars. Everybody has this, and they are most welcome to go through the process of the FIA, to go through that.”. And making himself the example, Ben Sulayem concluded: “I have my own personal things, OK, but it doesn’t mean I will use the FIA to do it.

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