FIA News: Ben Sulayem accused of locking rivals out of election (Update)

In a twist that’s got the motorsport world revving with controversy, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is barreling toward re-election without a single challenger in sight—thanks to a rulebook fine-print fiasco that’s sidelined his would-be opponents.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The 63-year-old Emirati, who steered into the top job in 2021, is gunning for another four-year lap at the FIA’s General Assemblies in Uzbekistan on December 12. But despite a trio of announced rivals—ex-F1 steward Tim Mayer, Swiss driver Laura Villars, and Belgian broadcaster Virginie Philippot—the electoral guardrails have slammed shut on competition.

Under FIA bylaws, every presidential aspirant must roll out a complete “presidential list” by October 24, stacking it with picks for key posts and seven regional vice presidents for sport—one per global zone. Those VPs? They have to hail from the pre-vetted pool of candidates for the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).

Cue the roadblock: This month’s WMSC roster boasts just one eligible South American—Brazil’s Fabiana Ecclestone, who’s already locked in on Ben Sulayem’s slate. And with a strict no-double-dipping rule barring WMSC hopefuls from multiple tickets, the other contenders are fresh out of options to fill that crucial regional slot. Boom—default victory for the incumbent.

It’s a bitter pill for Mayer, the American firebrand who’s been globe-trotting for months to rally support behind his “FIA Forward” manifesto. In a recent dispatch from South America, he recounted whirlwind stops in Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina: “The welcome was warm in each country… but my visit further reinforced FIA Forward’s opinion that the FIA needs to provide unique solutions to each region’s unique challenges.”

All that legwork? For naught, thanks to the WMSC nomination cutoff on September 19, which sealed the deal with no late entries allowed. Adding insult: Every one of the 11 South American motorsport federations threw their weight behind Ben Sulayem back in the spring, via a joint love letter co-signed by—you guessed it—Ecclestone herself.

Ben Sulayem’s reign has been a polarizing pit stop. Fans credit him with steadying the FIA’s finances and turbocharging the post-COVID comeback, but detractors slam him for hoarding power and running a black-box operation. The drama’s only ramped up with a parade of exits: CEO Natalie Robyn, tech chief Tim Goss, sporting director Steve Nielsen, and—most recently—deputy president for sport Robert Reid, all waving the white flag this year.

As the December vote looms, whispers of election engineering are growing louder. Will this “technicality” smooth Ben Sulayem’s path to a second term, or ignite a full-throttle backlash? Buckle up—FIA’s governance grid is about to get gridlocked.

(GMM) Mohammed Ben Sulayem (pictured talking to Max Verstappen) is being accused of making it almost impossible for any rival to stand against him in this December’s FIA presidential election.

Three figures – American Tim Mayer and Europeans Laura Villars and Virginie Philipott – have announced their intention to challenge the incumbent. However, Spain’s Soy Motor reports that “it’s not that the candidates have a hard time winning the elections, but it seems they can’t even run.”

The outlet says controversial new electoral rules introduced under Ben Sulayem require any challenger to present a full 10-person leadership team by October 24, including seven vice-presidents for sport drawn from a pre-approved list of only 28 names.

Crucially, the list includes strict regional quotas – and some regions have only candidates loyal to the current president.

“For example,” the report explains, “there is only one from South America, Fabiana Ecclestone, who supports Ben Sulayem – which means no opponent can field a candidate from that region.” The same applies to Africa, where both eligible names also back the incumbent.

Soy Motor concludes: “Game over. Changing the presidency would practically require a revolution in the central committee.”