Domenicali: F1 letter to FIA about 'clarifying' each other's role

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali says the unequivocal letter sent last month to the FIA by the sport's legal department was about clarifying "the role of each of us".

In January, a report from Bloomberg alleged that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund had held talks last year with Liberty Media regarding a potential takeover of F1, with a $20 billion valuation supposedly assigned to the sport.

Shortly after, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem reacted on social media to the story by expressing his skepticism over the alleged valuation that was put forth in the article, calling it "an inflated price tag".

That did not go down well with Liberty whose lawyers fired off a letter to the FIA, accusing Ben Sulayem of meddling in the commercial affairs of Formula 1 "in an unacceptable manner" and suggesting that the FIA could be held accountable if the sport's valuation takes a hit as a consequence of the president's public remarks.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle, Domenicali said that the letter was dispatched to remind the FIA of its place relative to Formula 1, and vice versa.

"It was important to clarify the role of each of us," said the Italian.

"I think that there’s no other things to comment because I think that as I said we need to stay focused on what we believe is right for the growth of the sport.

"We believe that even if it was just a news that was not news, if I may say, the value of our sport is growing, we should be all happy because that means that we all are doing a great job."

The episode, coupled with the Ben Sulayem's stance on several other controversial topics such as the potential arrival on the grid of US outfit Andretti-Cadillac, or the FIA's decision to clampdown on drivers making political statements, led many to believe that F1 and the governing body had reached a boiling point that did not bode well for the future relations between the two parties.

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However, Domenicali played down suggestions that the relationship between F1 and Ben Sulayem FIA was permanently fractured.

"With Mohamed Ben Sulayem coming as a new president last year, it was clear that as normal when there is a new president coming into the place that there is a manifesto that he has to respect," the F1 boss explained.

"That was his proposition in front of the members that have voted him and there is the need and the time to adjust, to have the right team to assess the right role within the FIA with regard to what is the role in the F1 championship.

"And there’s no secret to say that the key of success of sport is to have everyone doing his own job and making sure that we do it in the right way for the benefit of the growth of the sport.

"Any kind of ‘personalism’, any kind of thing that is not helpful for that it doesn’t make any need to comment because we have all the interest to make sure that our sport is growing."

Domenicali suggested that properly managing Formula 1 required a joint effort from both sides.

"We have to do a better job as a commercial rights holder, the team and the driver has to do their own job to make that in the right way.

"And the same is for the FIA that has [had] one year to develop, to grow, to work on a new team and they have to deliver the job because everyone put his credibility on the hands of the other.

"We are all united on that. If someone is not doing the right job it will be a problem."

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