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Mayer withdraws from FIA presidential election; Ben Sulayem set for second term

Tim Mayer has withdrawn his FIA presidential election bid against incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem due to a rule requirement which prevents him from running.

The former FIA steward, who was sacked last November, announced his intention to run for election later this year because he reckoned Ben Sulayem had ‘broken promises’.

But his bid has ground to a halt because any candidate must submit a list of their prospective vice-presidents for sport from each of the FIA’s six global regions.

The world council list, however, only has one from South America which is Brazil’s Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of Bernie, who had previously confirmed her support for Ben Sulayem.

It means the Emirati is set to enter his second term as president after being elected in 2021, with the rule preventing anybody else from running.

Mayer very strongly argues that this shows an undemocratic process as he addressed the press in Austin ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

“There will only be one candidate, the incumbent,” said the 59-year-old American. “That's not democracy. That's the illusion of democracy. Throughout our FIA Forward campaign, we've spoken of fairness, reform, and integrity, of returning the FIA to its members.

“But today, the outcome of this election, and the flawed process that governs it, proves how far we've drifted from that ideal.”

Mohammed ben Sulayem, FIA President (Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images)

He expressed his concern at their only being one candidate from South America and two from Africa and why the overall number of eligible members had reduced from 40 in 2021 to 29 for 2025. 

“What changed?” questioned Mayer. “Did member clubs suddenly lose interest in shaping the sport? Or were they persuaded, pressured, or promised something not to stand?

“I can't say for sure, but when only three out of 12 eligible clubs across South America and Africa put themselves forward, independent of whether they support me or not, it's clear this is no longer a democratic process. When choice is replaced by control, democracy is diminished.

“Take South America. It's a continent that is passionate about motorsport, yet only one candidate emerged. Fabiana Ecclestone has deep ties to Brazilian motorsport, and I respect her credentials.

“But as I travelled across the region, the same message came to me time and time again. Motorsport in Brazil is not typical of motorsport across South America, yet no other club chose to nominate someone, which by the way would not have been a challenge to Mrs Ecclestone, but an opportunity to broaden representation of their region and strengthen the sport across the continent.

“Now consider Africa, a region of 22 clubs across 47 nations with vast promise and vast diversity, yet only two candidates emerged, both declared supporters of the president.

Bernie Ecclestone and Fabiana Ecclestone (Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images)

“Amina Mohammed of Kenya is a respected and accomplished diplomat, but not a lifelong motorsport organiser. And Rodrigo Roja was permitted to run because of an e-sports event quietly added to the international sporting calendar last month by an e-vote, an event that, though it was scheduled for last weekend, to the best of our knowledge, appears never to have taken place.

“It's not even listed on his own club's calendar or their social media pages, which in fact is a situation that mirrors what happened the last time he stood as a candidate, an event put on the calendar but never run.

“So I ask, how is this how legitimacy should be built? Is this how African motorsports should be best represented? And is this how we're going to grow the sport in this critical region with so much untapped potential?

“When elections are decided before ballots are even passed, that's not democracy. That's theatre. And when member clubs are left with no real choice, they become spectators, not participants.”

Throughout the press briefing, Mayer referenced the Utrecht School of Governance, which studies public issues and organisations in their interaction with the developments in politics and society.

It did a study on the FIA, who scored 45% on the sports governance observer index, which places “it among federations that have adopted the formal trappings of modern governance but lack robust institutional policies and safeguards.

FIA flag (Photo by: Eric Gilbert)

“The FIA's governance structurally concentrates power in the office of the president and accountability remains confined within a system over which the president exercises decisive control.”

To which Mayer responded: “We strongly believe a series of ethics violations have been committed in this election process, and we have now submitted numerous ethics complaints.”

Ben Sulayem’s tenure has not been without controversy, from attempting to clamp down on driver’s swearing to putting forward a system where ethics complaints would be handled internally

Mayer reckons it is “power without brakes”, but stressed it has been the case for several years now adding: “This is not an overnight process. This is one that's happened over two decades.

“I would say that Mohammed is not the first person to have thought of ways to restrict the ballot, but we have gotten to a point now where we have basically ensured that there's only one person who can go on the ballot.”

It is currently unclear if Mayer will run again for president in 2029, but claimed “we'll keep driving the FIA forward until democracy, service, and partnership are not just an illusion, but the living values that define our federation, every day”.

Tim Mayer (Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images)

The FIA has responded to Mayer’s claims, stating: “The FIA presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage.

“The requirements for the 2025 FIA elections, including the relevant deadlines and eligibility criteria for the presidential list and world councils, are defined in the FIA statutes and internal regulations, which are publicly available on the FIA’s website. Detailed information regarding these elections has also been made available on a dedicated page on the FIA’s website since 13 June 2025 and communicated to all FIA members.

“The requirements related to the regional representation of the vice presidents for sport, and to select them from the World Motor Sport Council in order to draw up a presidential list, are not new. These criteria applied to previous elections.

“As to be expected, preparing a candidature for a presidential list or the world councils requires certain steps to be taken. Prospective candidates have had since the publication of the detailed information on 13 June to prepare their applications.”

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