FIA presidential election twist sees Laura Villars launch legal action

• Legal summons requests Paris court to order suspension of FIA presidential election until ruling is made over the dispute
• Court hearing set for 10^th November
• Election set to take place on 12^th December with incumbent president Mohammed Ben Sulayem only confirmed candidate

Swiss racing driver Laura Villars has started legal action against the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to challenge the organisation’s election process.

 Villars had expressed her interest in running for the presidency of motorsport’s governing body in September, which would’ve seen her stand against incumbent president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December’s election.

However, a quirk in the FIA’s election rules means that no other candidate can challenge Ben Sulayem, who was first elected in December 2021.

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 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 legal summons from Villars requests a Paris court ‘to order the suspension of the FIA presidential election, which is due to be held on 12^th December, until a ruling is made’ over the dispute.

A court hearing is set for 10^th November.

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“This procedure aims to ensure that the FIA’s upcoming presidential election, currently set for 12 December 2025, complies with the organisation’s own statutes and with fundamental democratic principles,” Villars told BBC Sport.

“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.”

An FIA spokesperson told BBC Sport: “Due to the nature of the process, the FIA is unable to comment on this legal action and will not be able to provide further comment on this matter.”

Villars said the court had invited both parties to a mediation meeting and that she would attend it “in a spirit of openness and good faith”.

“I will go to this mediation hearing with the same attitude I have maintained from the beginning – calm, openness, and determination,” she said.

“I hope it will finally lead to a sincere dialogue in the service of a FIA that is more modern, fair, and connected to its members.

“I have twice tried to open a constructive dialogue with the FIA on essential matters such as internal democracy and the transparency of electoral rules. The responses received were not up to the challenge.”

Villars’ barrister, Robin Binsard, said: “We have obtained authorisation for an hour-to-hour emergency summons, which demonstrates that the court is taking seriously the serious democratic failings within the FIA, as well as several violations of its statutes and regulations that we have denounced.”

If Villars wins her case, it could result in the suspension of the presidential process until an investigation into necessary governance changes at the FIA is concluded.

As reported by BBC Sport, if that process takes longer than the time left before the December election, Ben Sulayem would remain in his position but with a caretaker mandate that would prevent him making any significant decisions or changes.

The courts could put in place an external caretaker to ensure that is what happened.

Villars’ argument rests on the process by which FIA election rules have blocked rival candidates to Ben Sulayem.

The Swiss is among a growing list of figures in motorsport to criticise the FIA’s governance structures. Tim Mayer, who abandoned his campaign for the presidency this month, has accused Ben Sulayem of a “failure in leadership” and a “reign of terror”, while former FIA chief executive Natalie Robyn believes the organisation has “serious ongoing structural challenges”. 

Mayer has also accused the FIA of “lacking transparency” and “the illusion of democracy”.

In response, an FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage.”