FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem set to stand unopposed for second term

• Ben Sulayem has been FIA president since December 2021
• former employees have expressed concerns over governance standards at motorsport’s governing body
• Election to take place this December

Mohammed Ben Sulayem is set to run unopposed in this year’s election for the presidency of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The Emirati has served as president of motorsport’s governing body since December 2021, replacing Jean Todt, and confirmed his intention this May to stand for a second term.

Rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr had been considering standing against Ben Sulayem but opted not to run, citing “concerns” over his own rally career and “present circumstances” being “not ideal” for his candidacy.

Since then, American Tim Mayer, Swiss racing driver Laura Villars and Belgian journalist Virginie Philpott have shown interest in standing for president.

However, a quirk in the FIA’s election rules means that no other candidate can challenge Ben Sulayem.

As reported by the BBC, presidential hopefuls are required to submit a list of their prospective vice presidents for sport, which must be selected from each of the FIA’s six global regions.

But the FIA World Motorsport Council (WMSC) list contains only one candidate from South America, Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, who is already a member of Ben Sulayem’s team.

That reportedly prevents any other candidate from naming a potential vice president for sport from South America, which means no-one else can enter the FIA election.

The FIA’s statutes state that the governing body will “respect the highest standards of governance, transparency and democracy, including anti-corruption functions and procedures”.

The organisation’s rules also require it to be neutral in the election process and that it has an obligation to provide “equal treatment between candidates for the FIA’s presidency”.

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It comes after Robert Reid, who resigned from his role as deputy president for sport at the FIA in April, wrote on LinkedIn: “Each presidential candidate must present a full slate, including seven vice presidents drawn from list of World Council nominees.

“If the incumbent already controls those names in any region through persuasion, pressure or promise, then no challenger can form.

“The process looks democratic, but in practice it locks the door from the inside. It isn’t democracy. It isn’t even unusual. But that doesn’t make it right.”

Reid had accused the FIA of a “breakdown in governance standards” when he resigned.

The BBC adds that there is also doubt over the eligibility of Daniel Coen from Costa Rica for the World Motorsport Council nominees list, given that members must represent countries hosting international motorsport events, which Costa Rica does not.

Coen is Ben Sulayem’s nominee for vice-president for sport representing North America.

BlackBook says…

Ben Sulayem will surely continue as FIA president, but his re-election would underscore growing discontent in some circles over how motorsport’s governing body currently operates.

In June, a new rule was passed allowing the FIA Senate, which is controlled by Ben Sulayem, to nominate two candidates to the WMSC. Critics argue this is a way for him to remove potential obstacles to his eligibility for re-election if he were ever unable to meet the requirements for vice presidential candidates. The nomination via the Senate route would not be available to non-incumbents.

The last two FIA general assemblies have seen changes approved to the organisation’s statutes, which saw Austria’s national motoring club, the OAMTC, to warn of a “dark period of democratic backsliding”.

Ben Sulayem already controls the FIA’s ethics committee and has banned all political, religious and personal statements without prior approval from the governing body.

Several senior figures in the FIA have also left the governing body and questioned Ben Sulayem’s leadership.

As well as Reid and Mayer, race director Niels Wittich and chief executive Natalie Robyn are among the high-profile exits.

Mayer has accused Ben Sulayem of a “failure in leadership” and a “reign of terror”, while Robyn believes the FIA has “serious ongoing structural challenges”. Ben Sulayem has denied the accusations.

According to Reid, he left the FIA because “governance was deteriorating and efforts to raise concerns were set aside”. If that’s true, then there’s little indication of things changing during Ben Sulayem’s ongoing tenure.

Should motorsport series lose trust in the FIA, there is a serious risk this feeling could spread to promoters, commercial partners and manufacturers.  

As Reid put it in his LinkedIn post: “Centralised control may feel efficient, but it is brittle. Systems built on compliance, not consent, always look strong until the moment they collapse.”