The FIA Presidential Election: A Near-Certain Win for Ben Sulayem
The upcoming FIA presidential election on 12 December in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, looks increasingly like a formality for incumbent president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. With no viable challenger able to meet the stringent requirements of the election process, the chances of any candidate dislodging him appear slim.
Ben Sulayem is seeking a second four-year term as FIA president, and while three other potential candidates have publicly entered the race, none seem capable of assembling a valid team that meets all the necessary criteria. These candidates include former F1 steward Tim Mayer, Swiss racer Laura Villars, and Belgian TV presenter Virginie Philippot.
To be eligible, each candidate must submit a presidential list that includes nominees for key roles such as president of the senate, deputy president for automobile mobility and tourism, and deputy president for sport. Additionally, the list must feature seven vice presidents for sport, with two from Europe and one each from the MENA, Africa, North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific regions.
The FIA has made public the list of eligible World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) members, which is crucial for the election. However, this list only includes one representative from South America—Fabiana Ecclestone, the Brazilian wife of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Ecclestone currently serves as Ben Sulayem’s VP for the region and is part of his re-election team. As a result, no other candidate can assemble a team that meets all the criteria.
Candidates for the WMSC must be under 75 years of age and have no record that questions their professional integrity. This means either Mayer and his team failed to recruit a South American official in time or such a candidature was rejected by the FIA Nominations Committee. While the FIA cannot disclose details due to confidentiality agreements, events earlier this year suggest that Mayer’s campaign faced significant challenges.
In May, rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr. announced interest in running for the presidency, but he ultimately did not proceed. His bid, however, drew considerable media attention. Later, a group of 36 Spanish-speaking FIA members and automobile clubs from the Americas sent a joint letter supporting Ben Sulayem’s re-election, with Fabiana Ecclestone also signing the letter. More importantly, every president of the 11 South American federations signed the letter, indicating strong regional support for Ben Sulayem.
Mayer recently toured South America to garner support for his campaign, visiting Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. He highlighted the warm reception and the unique challenges faced by each region. However, with Ben Sulayem enjoying strong support in Asia and Africa, Mayer’s path to victory appears difficult. Each of the FIA’s 149 member countries has an equal vote, split between the sport and mobility sides.
“We are in a situation where it’s very important for the member clubs that they see the value,” Mayer said in July. “To be honest, Mohammed has been quite good at explaining to them what he’s doing for them. But he needs to do it top to bottom, not just here and there for member clubs.”
Ben Sulayem’s Leadership and Controversies
Despite his leadership, Ben Sulayem has faced criticism over his governance style. In March, Motorsport UK chief Dave Richards accused him of consolidating power, writing in an open letter that “the governance and constitutional organisation of the FIA is becoming ever more opaque and concentrating power in the hands of the president alone.”
This criticism followed a series of high-profile resignations and sackings within the FIA, including Mayer, CEO Natalie Robyn, technical director Tim Goss, sporting director Steve Nielsen, compliance officer Paolo Basarri, and Deborah Mayer, the president of the FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission.
The biggest upheaval came in April when Ben Sulayem’s running mate, deputy president for sport Robert Reid, resigned over what he felt was a “breakdown of governance standards” and “critical decisions being made without due process.” Reid was replaced by Malcolm Wilson, the founder of M-Sport.
There was also pushback against changes to the FIA’s statutes and ethics code initiated by Ben Sulayem, which increased the president’s influence on the FIA Senate membership and made the vetting process for WMSC candidates more rigorous. The FIA stated these changes were designed to “further strengthen processes around governance and confidentiality” and ensure consistency and rigour in the electoral process.
