His first year as FIA president has been a tricky one – and it was clear that was going to be the case from the moment Mohammed Ben Sulayem took the job.
The former rally driver was named as the next leader of Formula 1's governing body last December. Having won the election, he took over the role from Jean Todt – the former Ferrari team principal who stepped away from the role after three full four-year terms.
The start of his role came in the immediate aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which was decided in such acrimonious circumstances. But the fallout from that controversy had to take an immediate back seat from his perspective, as some more pressing matters meant his chances of a nice, easy start to the job were non-existent.
