F1 sends incendiary letter to FIA after Mohammed Ben Sulayem's 'inflated price tags of $20bn' claim

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain on Mar. 20 2022.

Mark Thompson | Getty Images

Formula One bosses have accused FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem of "unacceptable" interference in the alleged sale of the sport.

After reports of a $20 billion (16.3 billion) Saudi Arabian bid to buy F1's commercial rights, Ben Sulayem raised concerns on Twitter about the potential consequences of an "inflated" takeover such as higher ticket prices for fans if the new owners tried to recoup their investment.

He added that a potential buyer of F1 should "come with a clear, sustainable plan not just a lot of money."

Sky Sports Newsrevealed on Monday his remarks angered senior F1's officials and now legal bosses have written to the FIA warning that Ben Sulayem's tweets had "interfered with our rights in an unacceptable manner"

In a letter first reported bySky News,but also seen bySky Sports News,F1 general counsel, Sacha Woodward Hill, and Renee Wilm, chief legal and administrative officer of Liberty Media Corporation, F1's controlling shareholder, have accused the FIA motorsport's governing body of straying beyond its remit.