FIA election: New twist could hand Ben Sulayem easy victory

Talks regarding opposition candidates to rival the Emirati had recently dominated the motorsport spotlight, with Laura Villars and Virginie Philpott joining former Formula 1 steward Tim Mayer in declaring their candidacies for the FIA presidency.

However, a recent development could mean the three candidates may be ruled out of the running even before the first ballot is cast.

Over the years, a crucial step for any individual seeking to contest the presidency of the motorsport body has been to put together a list of individuals regarded as the presidential list.

The list includes 10 individuals who make up the roles of the President of the Senate, the Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism, the Deputy President for Sport, and seven additional Vice Presidents.

These seven Vice Presidents for Sport must be selected from a list of individuals approved by the FIA as eligible to stand on the World Motor Sport Council. The VPs are also chosen across several continents and regions globally, with North America, the Asia-Pacific, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa each producing one representative, while Europe provides two.

While this statute has long been in existence, the curveball regarding the upcoming election is that the FIA has now published a list of 29 individuals it deems eligible to stand on the World Motor Sport Council.

The list includes Fabiana Ecclestone from Brazil, representing South America solely the only candidate from that region. Fabiana, the wife of former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, has pledged her allegiance to current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

With Fabiana being the only South American representative it means none of the other three candidates will be able to meet the requirement to contest for the FIA presidency, which is expected to be submitted by October 24. The current election guide stipulates that an individual can only appear on one candidate’s presidential list and not on multiple lists. Hence, there is no way for the remaining candidates to fulfil this requirement.

Further compounding the complications for Mayer and the other running candidates, Africa’s representatives, Rodrigo Rocha and Amina C. Mohammed, are also ardent supporters of Ben Sulayem.

The election for the FIA presidency is slated for December 12, and Ben Sulayem is currently seeking his second term in office.

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