Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishSAKHIR, Bahrain — The deputy president for sport at Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, has resigned over a “governance crisis” after claiming he has “witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold.”Robert Reid, who won the 2001 World Rally Championship as a co-driver to Richard Burns, issued a statement on Thursday announcing his departure in the latest blow to the presidency of Mohammed Ben Sulayem.Reid, 59, became deputy president when Ben Sulayem won the election to become FIA president at the end of 2021. The title of the statement referred to a “governance crisis” within the FIA.“When I took on this role, it was to serve the FIA’s members, not to serve power,” Reid said. “Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold.“Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to represent.“My resignation is not about personalities, it is about principles. Motorsport deserves leadership that is accountable, transparent, and member-driven. I can no longer, in good faith, remain part of a system that does not reflect those values.”The FIA has yet to issue a statement in response to Reid’s exit, which comes following a series of controversies that have embroiled Ben Sulayem since he took office as FIA president. The Emirati faces re-election at the end of the year.Last year, Ben Sulayem was investigated by the FIA’s own ethics committee over a whistleblower claim he interfered with the result of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and threatened to prevent the approval of the Las Vegas Grand Prix track in the same year. Ben Sulayem said the claim was “unsubstantiated” and was cleared by the committee.
Ben Sulayem has been FIA president since November 2021 (Handout/FIA/DPPI via Getty Images)In December, the FIA announced it had made changes to how the ethics committee would investigate any complaints, answering directly to Ben Sulayem as president.Ben Sulayem has also faced criticism for his clampdown on drivers over issues such as swearing and wearing jewelry, as well as historic comments about women.Reid’s departure comes less than 24 hours after David Richards, the head of Motorsport UK, issued a statement in which he claimed the “the governance and constitutional organisation of the FIA is becoming ever more opaque and concentrating power in the hands of the President alone.”According to the statement issued by Reid, his decision followed the FIA’s decision to take on the promotion of the World Rallycross Championship without receiving approval from the FIA senate of the World Motor Sport Council, which “could carry legal risk under European Union competition law.” Reid claimed this was “the final breach of trust and due process.”Reid added that it would “not be the end of my service to motorsport” as he would “continue to advocate for reform, transparency, and governance that respects the FIA’s members and the integrity of our sport.” The Brit is set to comment further in the coming days to demand “greater accountability from the federation’s leadership.”The news comes ahead of Ben Sulayem’s first appearance at an F1 grand prix this year in Bahrain this weekend, where the FIA is also set to be part of a major meeting on the future engine direction.F1 announced last month that it had agreed commercial terms for the new Concorde Agreement, which binds together the teams and the sport, starting from 2026, but that the governance agreements were still to be finalized with the FIA. In previous years, these agreements have been signed in parallel.The Athletic has approached the FIA for comment.(Rudy Carezzevoli – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
