Simon Galloway/Getty Images
Presidential electoral process 'not new' – FIA
The FIA rebuked former presidential candidate Tim Mayer’s criticism of the electoral process, saying the requirements for the presidential list have applied for previous elections.
Mayer announced he is pulling out of the running to go up against Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December, citing the requirement to have a vice president for sport from every region as blocking challengers on this occasion. Mayer’s criticism was of a lack of candidates on the list from South America (one) and Africa (two), with the only options all already aligned to Ben Sulayem.
Calling the process “the illusion of democracy,” Mayer questioned why there had been a 27 percent reduction in candidate numbers for the presidential list compared to the last election, but the FIA says the rules have been known for a number of months and that candidates could have prepared earlier to have supporters put forward for the World Motor Sport Council.
“The FIA Presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage,” an FIA spokesperson said.
“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.”
As a result of Mayer’s withdrawal and the available presidential list candidates, current FIA president Ben Sulayem is set to run unopposed.
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
Read Chris Medland's articles
Latest News
Comments
Comments are disabled until you accept Social Networking Cookies. Update cookie preferences
If the dialog doesn't appear, ad-blockers are often the cause; try disabling yours or see our Social Features Support.
