FIA president hit with fresh claims as it’s alleged he tried to torpedo Las Vegas Grand Prix by declaring track unsafe

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been hit by fresh controversy over claims he tried to block last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The accusation comes from the same whistleblower who accused Ben Sulayem of allegedly fudging the outcome of the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP by overturning a penalty to Fernando Alonso.

The whistleblower says they were told “on behest of the FIA president” to find a way so as not pass the circuit as being safe for racing.

The claim is in a report by the FIA’s compliance officer to its ethics committee and being investigated internally.

An FIA statement said: “The FIA confirms that the Compliance Officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies.

“The Compliance Department is assessing these concerns, as is common practice in these matters, to ensure that due process is meticulously followed.”

Officials were unable to find fault with the street circuit and passed it as safe and it held its inaugural race last year.

It is unclear why Ben Sulayem did not wish the race to be sanctioned, which was a marquee event for F1’s rights owner’s, Liberty Media, who invested over £500 million in the project.

The latest bombshell comes ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP where Max Verstappen faces a grilling on Wednesday after his father Jos said his son would quit Red Bull after his own bust-up with boss Christian Horner.

Meanwhile, the 50-year-old Brit was reportedly not invited to Verstappen Senior’s big birthday bash in Dubai last weekend.

It came as Horner and Jos, 52, were filmed locked in a fiery exchange in Bahrain as the team supremo continues to be embroiled in a “sexting” controversy.

There are reports of cracks in the Red Bull camp over the scandal.

Intimate texts allegedly sent by Horner to a female colleague were leaked online.

But rumours also suggest Verstappen Snr and Horner have been clashing for months – with reports now of an explosive row on Friday evening.