Mohammed Ben Sulayem admitted there are more controversies on the horizon for Formula 1.
There have been a few to speak of in the last 12 months alone. The 2022 season brought the fallout from the revelation that Red Bull had breached cost cap rules from the previous campaign, while of course last December there was the Abu Dhabi finale. For some, the feeling of injustice from that day remains a sore topic.
And, of course, there have been plenty of other examples besides the above. All the off-track arguments have turned off some fans who are interested only in the racing – and FIA president Ben Sulayem has warned that things are unlikely to change going forward.
"You will always see controversy here, that happens in the battle between the teams that perform at the limit," he told reporters. "They always find something. Every hour is a new challenge.
"It's going well, but as the FIA we must also be careful. On the one hand the money is important, but on the other hand we are indispensable as a governing body. You cannot do it in this sport without the rules and constant adjustment and update these rules."
While the racing remains the main event, plenty of other off-track rivalries and sagas have a habit of creating headlines. And the FIA has come in for criticism this year for how it has handled some situations in F1.
One such occasion was in Japan in October – a truncated race after which there was confusion over whether or not full points would be handed out, in turn not making it clear whether or not Max Verstappen had done enough to secure the drivers' title. Ben Sulayem made an awkwardly-timed statement about that last week while on stage with Christian Horner at the FIA Prize Giving gala.
He defended his organisation's part in that confusion and has made clear his belief that the safest hands are still those of the FIA. Without its governance, he warned that F1 could lose its sporting integrity and could become like the world of professional wrestling.
Ben Sulayem added: "What do you want to end up with? Like in wrestling? Like the WWF without a board? No, that board should stay here. The FIA is complex, I must admit. Why? When you look at another sport like football, the rules are clearer. There is one goal size and one football size. Everyone is watching.
"When you look at [what] the FIA is watching, then you have different classes. Karting, for example. Forget Formula 1 for a while and look at all the other classes, such as rallying. Every day is a new challenge, but a fun challenge."
