Alonso cannot quit F1 while uncompetitive, says FIA president

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has described a conversation with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, saying he saw the Spanish driver visibly upset after underwhelming results in his home country.

Ben Sulayem said he told Alonso he understood how unacceptable it must feel for a two-time champion to race at home without competitive results. He referenced action taken back in May to legally support the team's efforts to improve its engine, and said he deliberately avoided telling Alonso what the FIA would do, instead asking the driver directly what changes he wanted to see.

The Aduo system explained

An FIA spokesperson later clarified that Ben Sulayem's remarks referred to Formula 1's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system, known as Aduo. Under this mechanism, engine manufacturers whose power units are assessed to be more than 2% behind the leading unit are granted the chance to upgrade their design.

The spokesperson said the comment was specifically about the Aduo process and reflected Ben Sulayem's hope that Alonso remains in the sport, adding that nothing further should be read into it.

Questions over FIA's role

When asked whether Ben Sulayem's comments suggested he might personally intervene in a way that could overstep the FIA's duty to act independently and objectively, the spokesperson responded that the president is simply passionate about drivers, having been a racer himself, and urged against over-interpreting the remarks.

Ben Sulayem's tenure as FIA president has been marked by several controversies, including changes to the organisation's internal checks and balances.