'Key members not allowed in FIA meeting after not signing NDA'

After refusing to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, key figures are said to have been excluded from an FIA World Motorsport Council meeting on Wednesday with President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. This comes after an already rocky start to the Formula 1 season, as many drivers and fans are not happy with some of the new rules and regulations.

According to BBC Sport, Robert Reid and David Richards were barred from joining the Wednesday FIA World Motorsport Council meeting. Reid is currently serving as FIA Deputy President for Sport, and Richards is the chairman of Motorsport UK. He represents the UK at the World Motorsport Council.

It was said that the members already had standing signed documents forbidding them from speaking about what was discussed. However, Ben Sulayem wanted a stricter document to be signed. This is allegedly because of concerns about members turning to the media. Ben Sulayem has recently commented about the media (specifically British media), as he believes the it can be biased towards him.

An FIA representative told the BBC, "As is routine in all organisations, including the BBC, the FIA implements procedures including non-disclosure agreements to ensure confidential relationships between all parties, to safeguard personal information, and to protect our regulatory interests. Unauthorised disclosure of confidential information undermines our ability to fully fulfil our mission and adversely impacts our capabilities to generate revenues to support our member clubs in our shared objective of growing motorsport participation, increasing accessibility, and cultivating innovation. The steps we have taken to preserve confidentiality have been overwhelmingly supported by a super-majority of WMSC members."

The BBC also reported that members had already raised concerns over whether or not their decisions would be upheld.

As it stands, Ben Sulayem is running unopposed in his re-election campaign later this year.

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