The FIA has announced that Mohammed ben Sulayem has won a second term as head of motorsport’s governing body, in an election which featured no other candidates as those who had intended to run were deemed ineligible

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Mohammed ben Sulayem won a second term as FIA president after all other candidates were blocked from running(Image: Marco Canoniero, LightRocket via Getty Images)

The FIA has confirmed that Mohammed ben Sulayem has secured a second term as president of motorsport’s governing body. The outcome was somewhat expected, given the election rules prevented any other candidate from being eligible to appear on the ballot paper.

This left Ben Sulayem as the sole candidate, despite three others publicly declaring their intention to run for the position. He received 91.5 percent of the vote, which took place at the FIA General Assembly in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday, after which he received a standing ovation from delegates in the room.

However, whether this entire election process will be upheld in the long run is yet to be determined. Although the election proceeded despite potential candidate Laura Villars seeking an emergency injunction in the French courts, a hearing is set for mid-February to assess the validity of the FIA’s election process.

Swiss racer Villars, American Tim Mayer and Belgium’s Virginie Philippot were the three challengers to Ben Sulayem, all having announced plans to contest against the incumbent. However, none managed to assemble a complete list of potential vice-presidents.

Under FIA election rules, each candidate was required to nominate a potential vice-president from each FIA global motorsport region, but only one eligible name represented South America. That was Fabiana Ecclestone, who had already committed herself to Ben Sulayem’s team.

The absence of any alternatives meant that Villars, Mayer and Philippot were all ineligible to appear on the ballot. The circumstances led Mayer to convene an extraordinary press conference in Austin during October, where he criticised the “illusion of democracy” he believed the process had created.

Villars took matters further by initiating legal proceedings in France against the governing body, resulting in a scheduled hearing on February 16. A press release from Villars indicated that the election’s validity itself “may be reviewed, challenger or annulled”.

An FIA spokesperson commented: “The French Court has issued its decision on 3rd December, confirming that the election for the President of the FIA will proceed on 12th December at the FIA General Assemblies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The FIA remains focused on the forthcoming General Assemblies and discussing with its member clubs globally important issues for both motorsport and automotive mobility.”

On Friday, the FIA announced via its social media channels that “a majority of the FIA General Assembly” had re-elected Ben Sulayem. As things stand, he will serve another four-year term as president of the governing body, which oversees the Formula 1 World Championship alongside numerous other elite motorsport series.

He was initially elected in 2021, defeating Graham Stoker in that December’s ballot. Ben Sulayem succeeded former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt, who had led the organisation for 12 years, having successfully secured three terms before choosing not to pursue a fourth.