Mayer confirms run against Ben Sulayem for FIA presidency

Former FIA steward Tim Mayer has announced he will run against current FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in this year’s upcoming election for the position.

Mayer becomes the first candidate to commit to running for the top position at the governing body for international motorsports and mobility, ensuring incumbent Ben Sulayem will face opposition when the FIA elections are held in December. His confirmation comes after former World Rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. voiced interest in doing so, before opting against such a run.

RACER understands Mayer has been preparing his campaign for more than six months prior to today’s announcement.

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“It's basically two things,” Mayer told RACER of the motivation behind his decision to run. “One is that I think that there is no doubt that the FIA can and should do better.

“I have so many friends – not only in the sport but also in the mobility side of the FIA – who have expressed a certain level of almost desperation at the state of where we are. This is my 34th year of involvement in the sport, and as somebody who sees that, I find it incredibly difficult to watch and not respond.

“And then, secondarily, having had those 34 years in the sport – and I've had an amazing career and an ability to be on all sides of the sport and to really have experiences that are quite remarkable – I’m now in a position to be able to give back to it in a way that is meaningful. I really feel an obligation to give back to a sport that has given so much to me.”

The son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer, the 59-year-old American’s more than three decades of experience within motorsports began in U.S. open-wheel racing, fulfilling multiple roles from a television producer to an organizer and official, then going on to become senior vice president of racing operations at Champ Car.

Mayer also had a spell as chief operating officer of IMSA before becoming involved with the FIA as a race director and steward, then taking on the role as one of the chairmen of the Formula 1 stewards in 2016.

Also responsible for the organization of FIA championships in the United States, Mayer was fired via text message by one of Ben Sulayem’s assistants late last year, after having to represent the United States Grand Prix race organizers in a right of review.

Ben Sulayem, who has already confirmed he is running for a second term, has seen his first four-year spell as FIA president beset by multiple senior departures and claims of a lack of transparency from both F1 drivers and select national motorsport bodies.

The incumbent – who said he would welcome a rival candidate back in May – has been criticized for changes made to the FIA statutes, but has helped the governing body turn a profit in its recent accounts, having made a significant loss in the final year before he was elected.