FIA President Called Out for On-Stage Lando Norris Moment at FIA Gala
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has sparked outrage following his 'disrespectful' on-stage moment with Lando Norris at the 2025 FIA Prize Giving Ceremony on Friday.
The gala is one of motorsport's biggest annual events as this year's ceremony took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
It honours world champions from every FIA-backed motorsport category including Formula 1.
The ceremony celebrated 2025 F1 champion Norris, who pipped Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to the world title.
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Norris arrived with teammate Piastri, McLaren CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella and Pirelli boss Mario Isola for Friday's ceremony.
FIA president Ben Sulayem presented the F1 drivers' championship trophy to Norris, but people can't believe how he greeted the British star.
Norris and Ben Sulayem shared a warm embrace before the 64-year-old Emirati messed with the McLaren star's hair.
He did it on two occasions before the 26-year-old greeted the other people on the stage, including Piastri and Brown.
Ben Sulayem also ruffled Norris' hair at last weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He grabbed the driver's hair in the cooldown room before messing it again on the podium after his third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Needless to say, the moment between Norris and Ben Sulayem angered F1 fans online.
One X user wrote: "Genuinely what is MBS’ issue with his hair," while a second said: "MBS continually ruffling the hair and Oscar standing there awkward af lmaooo."
A third added: "I'm sorry I just seemed to have lost all my words."
Another commented: "Weird and disrespectful."
Ben Sulayem, meanwhile, has been re-elected as president of the FIA after an election in which he was the only candidate.
He was unopposed and won 91.5 per cent of the vote in the election, which was held at the FIA General Assembly in Tashkent on Friday.
8.5 per cent of the clubs eligible decided not to vote for the only candidate.
Ben Sulayem will serve a second four-year term ending in December 2029.
Topics: Lando Norris, Formula 1, Fan Reactions
Nasir Jabbar