Newly re-elected FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and 2025 F1 champion Lando Norris appeared to be involved in an awkward moment at the FIA Awards in Uzbekistan.
Norris, who became the 11th British driver to win the F1 title at last week’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, was in attendance at the award ceremony in Tashkent.
And despite winning his maiden Drivers’ Championship in the UAE, the 26-year-old was made to wait until yesterday (December 12) to finally get his hands on the trophy.
During his victory speech, the Brit was quick to acknowledge his teammate Oscar Piastri’s contribution to McLaren’s success, with the Australian finishing third in the standings despite leading for a large portion of the 2025 campaign.
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Runner-up Max Verstappen was not in attendance due to illness, but he still sent a video message congratulating McLaren and Norris for their successful campaign.
But one notable F1 figure that was at the gala was Sulayem, who was re-elected as FIA president on December 12 after winning 91.51 percent of the vote as he ran unopposed.
The 64-year-old Emirati will serve a second four-year term in the role until December 2029.
Tim Mayer and Laura Villars have previously stated that they wanted to run but were unable to put together the required list of potential vice presidents. Sulayem has also been named as the chairman of the FIA Foundation, a UK-registered charity.
As expected, like Norris, Sulayem was in attendance at the FIA Awards, and fans spotted a rather awkward moment between him and Norris.
During the trophy presentation, the trophy was passed towards Norris, who went to pick it up before Sulayem quickly grabbed it as the Englishman stepped away in a rather awkward fashion.
And fans were quick to react on social media.
One said: “MBS should be ashamed of always trying to be the centre of attention. Dude, get out of the way and let the trophy be presented to Lando; they don't need you in the way.”
Another added: “I would have forced the issue. I can still talk, holding the trophy I earned, you made me wait until now to get it, hand the damn thing over.”
A third claimed: “Not a fan of Lando, but that is infuriating to watch, robbed him of the moment.”
While a fourth commented: “No other world champion has received this level of disrespect at the ceremony…”
The 2026 F1 season will get underway at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Topics: Formula 1, Lando Norris, FIA, Motorsport
Luke Davies