Photo: Race Pictures

PR stunt or not? Doubts raised about FIA presidency 'candidate'

18:41, 18 Sep

Updated: 21:31, 18 Sep

byKada Sarkozi

Laura Villars is reportedly running for the FIA's presidency, and could become the first female candidate in the motorsport federation's history. However, some F1 insiders have questioned whether she will indeed stand for election.

After Tim Mayer, another candidate to challenge Mohammed Ben Sulayem posted she is running for the role - Source: Race Pictures

28-year-old Swiss driver Laura Villars shared a post about her bid on social media.

"I’m happy to share my candidacy for the presidency of FIA as the first woman in history," she wrote in her caption on Instagram.

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Laura Villars (@laura_villars) által megosztott bejegyzés

She also added: "The FIA must once again be the federation of clubs and license holders. My ambition is a governance that is more democratic, more transparent, more responsible, and open to women and new generations.

"I strongly believe that motorsport needs diversity and innovation to keep inspiring younger generations worldwide."

Her agenda listed the following goals she would like to achieve in office:

Empower clubs through regular consultations and participatory governance.
Strengthen transparency in finance and decision-making.
Introduce a "FIA Eco-Performance" label recognizing sustainability leadership.
Enhance the Women in Motorsport program (Girls on Track, mentoring) and establish a FIA Young Leaders Academy.
Position the FIA as a global benchmark in sustainable mobility and road safety.

However, there are growing doubts about whether she will actually run for presidency. GPblog understand that no formal application has yet been submitted by Villars to the motorsport federation. A deadline is also set for tomorrow to submit a list of people eligible for the 'Presidential List.'

FIA elections in December

The FIA elections will be held on 12 December 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is running for a second term.

After Carlos Sainz Sr. confirmed he would not challenge the Emirati, former steward Tim Mayer emerged as Ben Sulayem’s first opponent.

Villars is a driver herself. She is currently driving in Ligier European Series JS P4 category with Team Virage. Previously, she drove single seaters in the F4 UAE and F4 Saudi Arabia series.