Mohammed Ben Sulayem was re-elected Friday to a second four-year term as president of motorsports’ governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, despite claims by rivals that they were unfairly kept off the ballot by election rules.
“Thank you to all our FIA Members for voting in remarkable numbers and placing your trust in me once again,” Ben Sulayem said after the election results. “We have overcome many obstacles but here today, together, we are stronger than ever.”
The election was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, at the body’s general assembly.
Although Ben Sulayem is taking a victory lap, legal proceedings are expected to continue in French courts over filings against the FIA by Laura Villars, a Swiss driver who on Sept. 18 launched her own bid for the presidency.
Due to a quirk in complicated election rules, Ben Sulayem, 64, essentially ran unopposed.
Rules require candidates to name vice-presidents from all global regions. When only one eligible South American candidate, Fabiana Ecclestone, was available, and she backed Ben Sulayem, other candidates like Villars and former Formula One steward Tim Mayer were unable to complete their “presidential lists,” leading to legal challenges that were filed in Paris.
Villars said last week a hearing is set for February and that the election could be “reviewed, challenged or annulled by the court,” depending on the outcome of the case.
Mayer had stepped up as a potential candidate in the months leading up to Friday’s election but dropped out in October, saying the election was “no longer a democratic process,” and adding, “When elections are decided before ballots are cast, that’s not democracy — that’s theater. And when member clubs are left with no real choice, they become spectators, not participants.”
Ben Sulayem’s first term has been beset by controversy.
Under Ben Sulayem’s leadership, FIA has experienced a bevy of contentious situations. Robert Reid, the deputy president for sport, resigned in April, claiming “a fundamental breakdown in governance standards.” That led former FIA CEO Natalie Robyn, who was forced out in the summer of 2024, to break her silence and concur with Reid’s sentiments.
Drivers have also been critical of Ben Sulayem’s ban on swearing. Moreover, Susie Wolff, the chief executive of F1 Academy for aspiring female drivers, filed a legal complaint against the FIA after a conflict of interest inquiry was lodged against her and husband Toto Wolff, president of Mercedes Motosport, but FIA closed it two days later.
–Field Level Media
