- Court date on 3rd December could see FIA election suspended
- FIA process continuing as normal for 12th December election
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has named Mohammed Ben Sulayem as the only eligible candidate for its presidential election in December.
This outcomes was widely expected after it emerged in October that the rules for this year’s election had been amended so that presidential hopefuls were required to submit a list of their prospective vice presidents for sport, which had to be selected from each of the FIA’s six global regions.
There was only one applicable candidate for a prospective vice president for sport from South America – Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, who is already a member of Ben Sulayem’s team.
Presidential hopefuls including Tim Mayer, Carlos Sainz Sr,and Virginie Philpott all failed with their bids as no other candidate could name a potential vice president for sport from South America.
Related posts
However, Swiss racing driver Laura Villars is pressing on with her legal case against the FIA. She won a hearing at the Judicial Court of Paris last week for her complaints around the election process to be heard. A court date has been set for 3rd December, nine days before the FIA election.
One potential outcome is for the presidential election to be suspended, but the FIA process is currently continuing as normal.
“This procedure aims to ensure that the FIA’s upcoming presidential election, currently set for 12th December 2025, complies with the organisation’s own statutes and with fundamental democratic principles,” Villars told BBC Sport ahead of the first hearing.
“The legal action is grounded on Article 1.3 of the FIA statutes, which commits the FIA to ‘respect the highest standards of governance, transparency and democracy’, and on the fact that the FIA is a French-law association headquartered in Paris, thus subject to French jurisdiction.
“This step is neither hostile nor political – it is a responsible and constructive initiative to safeguard transparency, ethics and pluralism within global motorsport governance.
“As I have stated publicly, I am not acting against the FIA. I am acting to protect it. Democracy is not a threat to the FIA; it is its strength.”
Ready to make faster, more strategic decisions in motorsport? The BlackBook Motorsport Digital Membership provides executives with on-demand access to the exclusive content and commercial intelligence behind the business of motorsport – find out more here.