Everything you need to know about the 2025 FIA president election

The last FIA election took place in Paris on December 17, 2021, with the next vote — to either elect a new president or confirm the current one — set to take place just over four years later.

This time, the event will be held on 12th December, during the FIA Annual General Assembly in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where the organisation will decide who will hold the governing body’s top institutional role for the 2026–2029 term.

The event will take place the day before the traditional FIA Prize Giving ceremony, where the Formula 1 World Champion trophy — along with awards for other major FIA categories — is officially handed out.

The first to openly challenge the current president is Tim Mayer. Originally from the United States, he is a well-known motorsport official and organizer with an extensive résumé.

Among the many roles he has held, Mayer also served as an FIA steward in Formula 1 — until he was abruptly dismissed in November 2024, in what became one of the most controversial and criticised moments of Ben Sulayem’s presidency.

The American, reportedly one of the most vocal internal critics of the Emirati’s leadership, was removed from his position “via text message” and without prior notice, with the FIA later describing the move as part of a “routine adjustments to stewarding assignments”.

“I was dismissed by text message, no hearing, no justification. The message was clear: if you speak up, you’re out,” he told The Guardian a few months ago.

In July 2025, Mayer announced his candidacy for the presidency, effectively becoming the first true political opponent to Ben Sulayem.

Born in 1997 and of Swiss-French nationality, Laura Villars is the youngest-ever candidate for the FIA presidency, having announced her bid just a few weeks ago.

For comparison, current president Ben Sulayem took office at the age of 60, while Jean Todt was 63 when he was elected in 2009.

She brings with her experience as a racing driver, having entered professional competition through the Ultimate Cup Series and several rounds of F4 UAE. In 2024, she competed in F4 Saudi Arabia and the Ferrari Challenge Europe (Pro-Am class), before joining the Ligier European Series this year.

Born in 1992, Belgian native Virginie Philippot has built a diverse career spanning motorsport journalism, television presenting, and modelling.

Her public profile grew after competing in Miss Belgium 2012 and Miss International 2017, followed by an appearance on the French reality show Secret Story.

Beyond her media and motorsport work, Philippot is deeply involved in humanitarian efforts. She founded Drive For Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting orphans and promoting access to education, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although three opponents have announced their candidacy for the upcoming presidential term, Ben Sulayem could end up running unopposed — and therefore be re-elected — due to a complex set of regulations that make it nearly impossible for other contenders to submit a valid and complete alternative bid.

Each presidential candidate must present a list of seven vice presidents, each representing a different geographical region: two from Europe, one from Asia-Pacific, one from the Middle East/North Africa, one from North America, one from South America, and one from Africa. If even one of these positions is not filled, the candidacy is considered invalid.

In early October 2025, the FIA unveiled the official list of 29 World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) members, from which presidential hopefuls must select their vice-presidential nominees. That announcement, however, exposed a major obstacle for Ben Sulayem’s rivals.

Within the South American contingent, only Fabiana Ecclestone — Bernie Ecclestone’s wife and already serving as vice president under Ben Sulayem — is eligible. Should she remain aligned with the incumbent president, no alternative candidate would be able to fulfil the mandatory South American representation requirement.

The situation in Africa offers little more room for manoeuvre, as the two eligible representatives are both considered close to Ben Sulayem, making their support for any opposing campaign highly unlikely.

Adding to the difficulty, all presidential bids must be submitted by October 24, 2025, complete with a full list of vice-presidential candidates — leaving Mayer, Villars, and Philippote with very little time to put together a complete and compliant team.

Villars herself voiced concern over the system, stating: “Formal exchanges are currently ongoing between my legal team and the FIA Administration, as the current electoral procedure raises legitimate concerns of conformity with the FIA statutes.”