FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s son, 29, tragically dies in traffic accident
The son of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has tragically died at the age of 29.
Saif Ben Sulayem lost his life in a traffic accident in Dubai, which was confirmed by the world motorsport’s governing body. Their spokesperson said the FIA boss has requested privacy and it is expected that no further comment is expected from the FIA or Ben Sulayem for the time being.
Tributes have poured in on social media from F1 fans all across the world as they show their support to Ben Sulayem and his family. Saif previously competed in the 2016-17 UAE Formula 4 championship against the likes of F1 rookies Logan Sargeant and Oscar Piastri.
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He finished the season in 14th, which included several top-10 finishes, but after getting a taste for the life of a motorsport driver, he opted not to pursue a racing career internationally.
He most definitely shared his father’s passion for cars and regularly posted images of his dad’s huge collection of supercars, as well as other famous sports cars on his Instagram page. Ben Sulayem was appointed FIA president in December 2021, succeeding Frenchman Jean Todt.
His first campaign in charge saw him oversee a new era in the sport, featuring new regulations designed to make the sport more competitive. But just last month, he announced that he would step back from direct involvement in F1 this year.
(Image: Instagram)
That decision came after Ben Sulayem had clashed during the off-season with F1 owners and stakeholders over the possibility of welcoming new teams to the grid and the future of the sport’s media rights.
He handed over management of F1 to single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis.
He is of course still involved in the sport and Ben Sulayem was in attendance at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, won by Red Bull driver and defending champion, Max Verstappen.
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