Mohammed ben Sulayem expected Honda to be ‘annoyed’ with FIA loophole

Ben Sulayem also commended McLaren on their decision to retain Jenson Button and said the continued involvement of the 2009 world champion is important for the sport, reports Gary Meenaghan.

Mohammed Bin Sulayem speaks during the Dubai 24 Hours news conference at the Dubai Autodrome on Tuesday. Satish Kumar / The National

DUBAI // Mohammed ben Sulayem, vice president of the world motorsports governing body, has dismissed grievances from Honda regarding an FIA loophole that could allow rival Formula One teams to develop their V6 hybrid engines in-season.

The Japanese power unit suppliers are returning to the sport with McLaren after a seven-year hiatus but look set to be at a severe disadvantage courtesy of a stipulation in last season’s rule book that dictates new engines have to be homologated for the first race of 2015.

The result is that all teams that competed last year can develop their old engines throughout next season, but Honda, with their new engine, cannot.

Honda staff have expressed their “annoyance” at the loophole, but Ben Sulayem said it is only to be expected.

“The rules were frozen for a while, but I think it’s a good move to allow development throughout the season,” said the president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE). “You cannot find one rule that will satisfy everybody.

“Bring me one circuit that everybody likes. It doesn’t exist. If a driver finishes first, he loves it. If he finishes last, he hates it.”

McLaren, after a disappointing past two seasons, had been hoping to return to the front row when the season starts in Australia on March 15.

Despite billing themselves as a Honda works team and having secured the services of Fernando Alonso, they could find themselves hamstrung by the new rules.

Ben Sulayem, though, commended the Woking-based marque on their decision to retain Jenson Button and said the continued involvement of the 2009 world champion is important for the sport.

The 34-year-old Briton, who won the world title while with Brawn-GP, came precariously close to losing his F1 seat at McLaren before being told he would be offered a new ­contract.

“It is good for him to stay,” Ben Sulayem said. “There are newcomers and those in the middle of their careers and those nearing the end of their career.

“These are stages and it is important to evolve, but to have Jenson is a big thing because he is a champion.

“I am not talking on a personal level – I know him and like him – but I am talking on a professional level. He is good for the sport.

“He is popular, he complements F1 and I think it would have been too early from him to leave.”

Pre-season testing starts in Jerez, Spain, on February 1.

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