Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirms run for re-election as FIA President

Incumbent FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has confirmed his intent to stand for re-election when the governing body holds its presidential vote later this year.

Ben Sulayem, who has been President of the FIA since December 2021, has formally confirmed he will stand for the office again when voting is carried out by the FIA General Assembly on December 12th in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirms re-election run

Ben Sulayem is understood to have communicated his formal intention to the FIA Administration to stand for the post for a second term, launching his campaign ‘FIA For Members’ around the theme of ‘A Lot Done. More To Do,’ on Wednesday.

He thus joins Tim Mayer on the ballot, with the American having announced his ‘FIA Forward’ campaign during the British Grand Prix earlier this summer. At present, there are no other confirmed candidates for the Presidency.

The Emirati has earmarked Carmelo Sanz de Barros, Tim Shearman, and Malcolm Wilson to continue in their respective roles as president of the Senate, deputy president for automobile mobility and tourism, and deputy president for sport, which clarifies the top positions required for a candidate’s Presidential List.

The full Presidential List also requires candidates for the positions of the seven vice-presidents for sport – two from Europe and one each of the MENA, Africa, North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific regions. This list must be submitted to the FIA Administration between the 3rd and 24th of October.

Ben Sulayem has revealed the seven names to fill these positions, as follows:

• Fabiana Ecclestone (South America)
• Anna Nordkvist (Europe)
• Manuel Avino Roger (Europe)
• Lung-Nien Lee (Asia-Pacific)
• Rodrigo Ferreira Rocha (Africa)
• Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa (MENA)
• Daniel Coen (North America)

While the details of Ben Sulayem’s List are outlined, Mayer has yet to define his. The American motorsport official has released two parts of his manifesto, governance and mobility, with the sport manifesto still to be unveiled.

Ben Sulayem’s full campaign manifesto was also revealed on Wednesday, outlining his determination to complete shaping the governing body to his vision of serving the interests of each member club.

His manifesto for motorsport includes plans to introduce several key initiatives. These include rolling out the new Global Karting Plan at all levels, supporting local production of cross cars and karts, and strengthening world championship governance with improved training, succession planning, and best practices.

Member clubs will be supported with digital tools for managing national motorsport, while efforts will also target new markets for growth.

Additionally, the FIA aims to secure a stronger positioning through better promoter agreements and establish a Centre of Excellence for the FIA Officials Department.

“Thank you for your trust and support over the past four years,” Ben Sulayem wrote in the confirmation of his campaign beginning.

“Together, we have taken the FIA on a challenging but highly rewarding journey – transforming it into a modern, dynamic, and forward-looking organisation, now recognised worldwide for its governance, management, and leadership on key global issues.

“The progress we have made is something we can all be proud of: stronger finances, better governance, a reformed management structure, increased support for our members, and a louder FIA voice on the world stage.

“We ask for your continued support to allow our team, with a proven track record of delivery, to finish the job we started.

“Together, we can complete this work and take the FIA to even greater heights.”

Strong indications of support for Ben Sulayem have already been revealed by way of letters from member clubs across the MENA and Americas regions, meaning that Mayer faces a steep challenge to usurp Ben Sulayem’s momentum as the incumbent.

Shortly after the confirmation of Mayer’s presidential bid, Ben Sulayem addressed his own campaign during a round-table interview with select media, which included PlanetF1.com.

Ben Sulayem said at the time that he’s “busy with much more important things”.

“For me, it is just achieving what I started to do. If you ask me what my main challenge is today, it’s finalising the Concorde Agreement. That, to me, is the main thing,” he said.

With Ben Sulayem stretched across these duties and efforts, it was put to him that, should his eye not remain on the ball, he could find himself usurped by Mayer’s more single-minded efforts.

“It is a race. I’ve been in competition with this,” he said.

“I know that whatever I’ve been doing is good for the members. I’ve been very straight with them. We did the transformation. If other people think that we didn’t, it is their call.

“Also, maybe they see it in a different way. If they think what I’m doing is wrong, it’s an open arena. Let them go and do it. I cannot stop [them], and I will not stop, and I wish everybody well.

“Three and a half years ago, the same thing happened for me, and it was very hard for me. I know how difficult the campaign is with people promising all this, but you also have to trust what you have been doing.

“Was it good for the FIA? Where was the FIA before? Where is it now? To reach the people and get their trust is something… It’s not about sending an email. It’s feeling them. It’s talking to them, and that, for sure, takes time.

“I really wish him all the best, and if he is a better person, the members will vote for him.

“[The campaign] is coming for the members. It’s not about the media, what they say about me.

“At the end of the day, one thing is very clear. It is the members who vote. It’s not anyone who is here [media] to have a vote. It’s them. If they decide they want me or they want X, Y, Z, it’s up to them. I wish them all the best.

“Let’s wait for the General Assembly, and let’s see, they will get me out, then. They have the power to get me out. It’s about the members. And when I see this. Smiling. Maybe, I don’t know, maybe they’re smiling, truly or not, but it’s their decision.”

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