Mohammed Ben Sulayem moves to scrap FIA president term limits – report

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has put forward a proposal to abolish term limits for the role.

That is according to a report from the BBC, one which claims the proposal is expected to be passed at the upcoming meeting of the FIA General Assembly. It is a rule which was put in place by former FIA president Jean Todt.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem FIA term limits proposal explained

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The FIA president since 2021, Ben Sulayem is currently into his second term after being re-elected, unopposed, in December, due to an FIA technicality regarding vice president candidate selection.

This triggered FIA presidential candidate Laura Villars to take legal action against Formula 1’a governing body.

Under the current system, an FIA president is allowed to serve a maximum of three four-year terms. Ben Sulayem’s wish to remove term limits will be voted on at next month’s meeting of the FIA General Assembly. It is expected to receive the green light, according to the BBC report.

An attached statement from an FIA spokesperson suggests a blanket removal of term limits for FIA roles, stretching beyond only FIA presidency.

This statement from an FIA spokesperson, as per the BBC, reads: “A proposal has been put forward to establish a consistent approach to tenure across all FIA bodies, similar to what currently exists for the world councils and the senate.

“The proposal is subject to approval by the World Councils and by the General Assembly. FIA bodies retain full authority to democratically elect officeholders.”

In addition, there is a reported proposal requiring future FIA presidential candidates to possess suitable FIA member or body experience. Also said to be on the table is a more than doubling of the timeline for FIA president hopefuls to confirm their vice president candidates, increasing from 49 to 100 days before an election.

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Ben Sulayem’s FIA presidency has proven polarising at times.

The fining of Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen’s community service order, both for swearing in FIA press conferences, triggered a pushback from the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) by way of an open letter.

When rally driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined for swearing, the comparable World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA) was formed, and staged a silent protest during the 2025 Safari Rally Kenya, with drivers refusing to speak in interviews, or only in their native language.

Various high-ranking FIA officials have left or been fired from the organisation during Ben Sulayem’s tenure.

At present, Ben Sulayem has been advocating for the return of V8 engines to Formula 1, stating that this will happen by no later than 2031. Ben Sulayem is targeting 2030 for the F1 V8s comeback, the sport having used V6 turbo-hybrid power units since 2014.

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