FIA News: Paris court allows FIA election to proceed

(GMM) The FIA’s presidential election will go ahead on December 12 – but a Paris court has refused to endorse the process, handing Laura Villars an important early victory in her challenge against Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s (pictured) uncontested re-election.

Villars, who attempted to run for FIA president, withdrew after discovering that only Ben Sulayem could legally remain on the ballot – due to a rule requiring candidates to nominate seven vice-presidents drawn from every global region.

For the South America slot, only Fabiana Ecclestone was eligible, and she confirmed she would run exclusively with Ben Sulayem’s list.

That effectively locked out Villars, Tim Mayer and any other contender – prompting Villars to file an emergency injunction to suspend the December vote entirely.

But on Wednesday, reports emerged that the Paris court has issued its first ruling – the Uzbek election may proceed, but the FIA has not been cleared.

The French court that heard the FIA presidential election case, brought by former candidate Laura Villars against the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) over alleged irregularities in the 2025 election process, is the Judicial Court of Paris (Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris).

Villars’ legal team said in a statement: “We take note of the ruling delivered today in the Paris court in the dispute between Laura Villars and the FIA.

“The judge did not accept any of the FIA’s arguments.”

Crucially, the judge also ordered that the alleged irregularities in the election system must be investigated in full. “The judge has not ruled on the substantive points. Moreover, he has ruled that the alleged irregularities surrounding the elections must be investigated by the judges hearing the case on the merits,” the lawyers’ statement added.

A full hearing has been scheduled for February 16 next year, meaning the legality of Ben Sulayem’s second term will be challenged after he is sworn in.

Villars had originally asked the court to “order the suspension of the FIA presidential election scheduled for December 12”, citing a “strange twist in the rules” that rendered her candidacy impossible.

Villars’ lawyer, Robin Binsard, confirmed the fight now moves to a deeper phase. “The urgent applications judge has decided that this dispute should be heard on the merits, and we will therefore continue the case against the FIA before the merits judges.”