'Ben Sulayem wants to change the rules again to stay in office longer'

The proposal will be put before the FIA General Assembly in Shanghai next month. Currently, people over the age of 75 cannot be part of a team standing for election to the presidency. If the amendment is approved, that restriction will be removed.

According to the BBC, the FIA says in its proposal that age limits can restrict the pool of qualified candidates. As a result, people with valuable experience and expertise may be prevented from taking up a leadership role.

The proposed change is not the first amendment to the governance rules under Ben Sulayem. Six months ago, limits on the number of terms people could serve in senior FIA positions were abolished.

Notably, Ben Sulayem himself introduced an age limit of 70 in 2023. The now 64-year-old FIA president defended the measure at the time, saying it would improve governance and accountability within the organisation. The age limit was raised to 75 in 2024. According to the FIA, this was part of a modernisation of its governance structure.

Ben Sulayem now wants to remove the age limit altogether. Critics see this as another step towards securing his position at the helm of the motorsport federation.

Ben Sulayem was first elected FIA president in 2021. In December 2025, he was re-elected unopposed after election rules prevented other interested candidates from standing.

Former racing driver Laura Villars and former FIA steward Tim Mayer were among those who wanted to challenge Ben Sulayem, but ultimately could not take part. Villars has since launched legal proceedings in France, challenging the way the election was conducted.

Criticism of Ben Sulayem's leadership has also been voiced within the FIA itself for some time. Several senior staff members have left or been dismissed after raising concerns about the organisation's governance structure and transparency.

Robert Reid, then vice-president for sport, resigned in April 2025. At the time, he cited the fundamental deterioration of governance standards within the FIA as one of the reasons for his departure.