‘That’s tyranny, not democracy’ – Why Ben Sulayem has a new FIA presidency rival

Veteran steward Tim Mayer has thrown his hat in the ring for the FIA Presidency later this year, going up against Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Shortly after Carlos Sainz’s decision not to enter the presidential race, long-time FIA chairman of the stewards Tim Mayer confirmed his intention to run in the election later this year.

Tim Mayer explains decision to enter FIA Presidential race

Mayer held a press conference at the Whittlebury Hotel near Silverstone on the Friday morning of the British Grand Prix, in which the American motorsport official announced to the media, including PlanetF1.com, his intention to enter the FIA Presidential race.

The incumbent president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, had looked set to run unopposed as Sainz, father of current Williams driver Carlos Jnr, recently confirmed his mooted run at the presidency will not go ahead.

David Richards, chairman of Motorsport UK, had called for change within the governing body via an open letter published on the organisation’s website recently. But, at 73 years old, Richards is too old to run for the office.

Richards is understood to be a primary supporter of Mayer’s burgeoning campaign, with this being launched under the moniker of FIA Forward.

Speaking to PlanetF1.com in an exclusive interview, Mayer explained the thinking behind his candidacy.

“For me, really, it’s been 34 years in the making. I’ve had a remarkable career in motorsport,” he said.

“I’ve been a TV promoter, an organiser, an official; I’ve been a promoter of different things. I started in IndyCar, went to sports cars, have come to the FIA, and have worked with the FIA since 2009.

“I’ve been very lucky. I’ve made a good living in motorsport and, at a certain point, I decided I had the opportunity to give back to the sport.

“In 2009, I decided to volunteer within the FIA. I’ve been able to steward in RallyCross, rally, touring cars, GT cars, and sports cars, the Le Mans 24 Hours, F1… every category there is, virtually.

“For me, it’s always been about being able to serve.”

Mayer’s tenure within the FIA came to an acrimonious end in the latter half of 2024, following his dismissal from his role as a steward. His last event in the position was last year’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

Having been stood down, Mayer claimed his dismissal came about because Ben Sulayem had “taken offence” at an appeal document filed by the US GP organisers.

In addition to his former role as an FIA steward, Mayer is also the sporting organiser of the three Grands Prix held in the United States.

He believes that conflict, and his role in an appeal against a fine levied at the Circuit of The Americas last season, was at the heart of his removal.

“In November, I had a very public parting of the ways with Mohammed, it gave me an opportunity to think about how I can serve. ‘What is the state of the FIA, how can we do better?'” Mayer said.

“The conclusion of that was that I believe that I can bring a lot to the FIA, to the member clubs, from the sports side to the sport on the mobility side, which, to me, actually is where there’s a huge opportunity to leave a lasting legacy of safety and dignity for millions of road users around the world.

“I have obtained advice. I’ve learned from a lot of people. It’s been a privilege to be able to just talk to those people and listen to their passion about what they do.

“Having done all that, having listened to all those people, that’s when we made the decision in January, we were going to go for it.”

In the open media session, Mayer also levelled accusations of the FIA creating “illusions” around itself.

“Three years ago, Mohammed Ben Sulayem ran on good ideas: value for smaller clubs, transparency, and reform. The message was right, but the delivery has failed,” he said.

“Instead of reform, we’ve seen performance behind the stagecraft. We’ve been left with the illusion of progress and the illusion of leadership, while the most senior team he appointed has departed. The illusion of inclusion, while capable voices, especially women and those from diverse backgrounds, were pushed out when they spoke the truth.

“The illusion of a financial turnaround, when the FIA has merely returned to pre-pandemic norms, but now with less independent oversight.

“The illusion of transparency and engagement, even as decision making grows more centralised and dissent is punished, and perhaps, most corrosive, the illusion of integrity.

“In four General Assemblies, we’ve witnessed wave after wave of statute amendments presented as modernisation or democracy, but, in reality, ushering in the greatest centralisation of power in the FIA’s history.

“Critical issues are decided through rushed electronic votes with no opportunity for debate. World Councils are gagged and stripped of their ability to represent their members.

“Senate members have been pushed out for exercising their financial or ethics oversight. That’s not governance. Real governance is built on values, genuine democracy where every club has a respected voice, diverse perspectives as a structural priority of the FIA, a culture that welcomes challenge and debate, transparency, transparent reporting, and honest evaluations.

“Good governance isn’t about control. It’s about service. The FIA must serve its members, not the other way around. Over the coming months, you’ll meet the rest of my team, professionals from every discipline and every region dedicated to the Federation’s success.

“We will meet with member clubs, listen to their ideas, and incorporate them into our agenda. This campaign is bigger than personalities. It’s about principles. We will never pressure clubs to issue public endorsements. That’s not democracy.”

Is Tim Mayer seeking revenge on Mohammed Ben Sulayem?

Given the optics of the situation, which pits Mayer against the man who led his removal for the most senior office in the FIA organisation, the elephant in the room is whether Mayer’s primary motivation is that of retaliation or vengeance.

“If the insinuation is that this is driven by a desire for revenge on Mohammed, I think people underestimate how big a task this is, how hard it is to work at this,” he replied, when this question was put to him by PlanetF1.com.

“The FIA is a massive organisation around the world with its member clubs, and I don’t think you can be driven by revenge. You have to be driven by a deep desire to serve, a deep desire to serve those member clubs.

“This is a volunteer position, and it’s something you genuinely have to think long and hard about.

“Having thought about it, having thought about my passion for this sport, having thought about what I can bring as a leader to this sport, it was something where talking to a lot of people honestly, and talking to them about ‘What would you think about me doing this?’

“Everybody, universally, has said, ‘Yes, we need good leadership. We need somebody with a vision. We need somebody who desires to serve, not to be looked at on TV or looked at as somebody who is Mr. President… that’s not me.

“I am that servant leader. I am that person with the experience, and we can make a better FIA.”

With Ben Sulayem publicly stating that he welcomes the democratic process of the selection of a new FIA President as the Emirati seeks a second term in office, Mayer confirmed that he hasn’t spoken with the incumbent President since May’s Miami Grand Prix.

Recently, at the FIA’s General Assembly in Macau, the governing body members overwhelmingly voted through statute and ethics code changes that have given the President more veto power and greater control over the members of the FIA Senate.

These changes, Mayer said, show that Ben Sulayem’s actions don’t correspond with his welcoming of democracy.

“The words are laudable, the actions are less so, because when he said that, they had published the new statutes that make the FIA less democratic,” he said.

“In theory, he has a veto right over who can run against him. I don’t think in practice that that’s the case, but in theory, he does, and that’s something that he fought for.

“He has the opportunity to unilaterally decide that World Motor Sport Council members, who are elected by the member clubs, cannot attend those meetings.

“Those members of the World Motor Sport Council are now prevented, by legal contract, from talking to the members that they are supposed to represent about the contents of the meeting.

“That’s not democracy, that’s tyranny, and we’ve got to change that deeply. I’ve known Mohammed for a long time. I don’t ascribe any ill thoughts. I don’t think that he intends to be how he comes off, but the truth is, we’ve got a problem.”

Tim Mayer has confirmed his intended run at the FIA Presidency, running against Mohammed Ben Sulayem. #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/G6EbxB67dO

— Thomas Maher (@thomasmaheronf1) July 4, 2025

What about Tim Mayer’s manifesto and personnel list?

According to Mayer’s campaign website, his manifesto and the people who make up his cabinet ‘list’ will be announced on July 15th.

Speaking in the open media session, Mayer said the goal over the next few weeks of his campaign is finalising this list.

“I’m very, very privileged to have some very high-level advice on what we need to do,” he said, confirming that around “a dozen” people are already working on the campaign on the logistical side.

“In terms of the presidential list that has to be submitted, there are some vacancies still in that, and I would be disingenuous to say that there’s not, because we’ve been trying to keep this campaign below the radar. We’ve had to do that. There is no such thing as a secret in motorsport or in mobility, for that matter.

“So if we’re above the parapet, we’re talking to people that wouldn’t have been a secret, but this is now the time.

“That’s the task for the next 30 days – to go out, especially to that group of people, and complete that list. But we have a great start on that.

“I’m very proud of the professionals that we’ve been able to attract. People are genuinely hungry for the opportunity to do a better job at the FIA, and people are genuinely looking for leadership that understands and servant leadership is what I call it.”

Having highlighted that transparency in governance is a key facet of his campaign, what are the other aspects that will appear on his manifesto?

“Transparency goes to governance,” he said.

“For me, it’s about making sure that the truth is told. You know, the Federation has its problems. The member clubs need to know that. They need to have a voice in how we change the Federation. They need to have a voice in how the money is spent. They need to have a voice in what the priorities of the Federation are.

“For me, transparency is about debate, allowing people to be critical, and allowing people to say, ‘Hey, I’d like you to do a better job in this area, or I need your help here.’ That’s transparency, that’s debate. That’s the way we make better decisions.

“So that’s incredibly important to me. Governance is not about control. Governance is about service, and what can we do to serve those member clubs.”

Tim Mayer acknowledges the challenge of beating Mohammed Ben Sulayem

Recently, Ben Sulayem’s presidential campaign received a huge boost with the reveal of several letters of support from key regions, including the Americas, as well as the Middle East and North Africa.

Mayer acknowledged that the deck is “currently stacked in favour of the incumbent” but said he isn’t put off by the extent of the support already publicly made in favour of Ben Sulayem.

“I understand why those clubs sign those letters. If those letters are put under your nose and you’re told to sign, and there’s no viable alternative, you sign,” he said.

“Even if you do have a viable alternative, you might sign them.

“At the end of the day, the only place that their opinion matters is at the ballot box, and so it’s incumbent upon me, it’s my job to go out and do the work and show those clubs, whether they’ve signed those letters or not, that they can have a club, a federation, that’s going to work with them, that’s going to provide them with the value that they’re looking for.

“It’s going to provide them with the tools and resources that they’re looking for. It’s going to bring them to Grands Prix, which is something that I think is somewhat controversial. It’s not to me.

“I think it’s important to bring smaller clubs to the larger events. I think that’s an extremely important thing. I would like to run seminars at these and not make them just entertainment, but make them something that they can take value from.

“But, all that aside, at the end of the day, it’s how we can serve those member clubs? How can we provide value to them? How can we help them grow? These are small businesses. We need to help those small businesses grow.

“That’s the job of the FIA, it’s also the job of the FIA to provide something that they can be proud to be a member of. They associate their name with the FIA and, at the end of the day, they should read that the FIA is trusted. It’s honoured, it’s respected, which, I think, unfortunately, at the moment, is not universally the case.”

Asked about the strengths Ben Sulayem has, which Mayer will need to convince the members clubs aren’t great enough if he is to win the Presidency, the American said, “He has a good team. He has very clever people who work for him.

“He’s obviously had four years to forge relationships with individual clubs. He works hard. There’s no question about it. Unfortunately, I think he works hard on the wrong things. That is what we’ve got to go persuade those member clubs, that we have a plan.

“We have a way of delivering value to them, and we have a way of driving both the reputation of the FIA and their businesses.”

Given that the launch of Mayer’s campaign was not held within the Formula 1 paddock or the confines of the Silverstone Circuit, Mayer acknowledged that his campaign does not have the support of Formula One Management at this point, having met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali on Thursday.

“I think it would be incredibly wrong for the major promoters, whether it be Formula 1, WEC – the ACO runs the WEC – or any of the other groups, whether it be rally or any of those, to come out and support an individual candidate,” he told PlanetF1.com, when asked about this lack of support.

“The FIA staff are instructed that they have to remain neutral. I think it’s right for the promoters to remain neutral. At the end of the day, the voters are the member clubs, not Formula 1, not Liberty Media, not the ACO.

“So I do think that those organisations should remain neutral. They may have discussions with the candidates, express what they’re looking for out of the FIA. I think good listeners are good leaders, and that, for me, is really critical and really important. But I think it would be wrong for Formula 1 to express a preference at this point.”

With just five months to go until the election is held, Mayer said he will be hitting the road to travel around the globe and begin his campaign, one which Ben Sulayem is yet to respond to publicly.

Asked whether he believes the build-up to the election will remain amicable or if the politics will see things turn dirty as the process rolls on, Mayer summarised, “Certainly, I have been critical, and I will continue to be critical of Mohammed in terms of his policies and the way that he has gone about his work.

“I am not critical of Mohammed as a person. He has his way of doing things. I have mine. I don’t think of this as being personal. I think of it as being about policy, about the future of the FIA, and about what’s good for the member clubs.”

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