Contender to FIA president stuns with unexpected proposal

In Silverstone, the former FIA steward held a press conference, the first moment when it was announced that he would be running for the FIA presidency, with the 59-year-old mainly criticising current president Ben Sulayem's approach.

The former steward did talk about key points, but not about specific plans in that press conference. But now, more clarity has emerged, as Mayer publicly released his manifesto for his election campaign on Thursday morning.

The main theme of his campaign is making a global impact. The American states at the start of his manifesto that the FIA is currently in a bad position worldwide. His goal is to eventually be within the top 20% of global governing bodies.

Mayer wants to do this soon by shifting from a culture of control to a culture of service. The focus should be more on the members of the FIA Members Club. Furthermore, his campaign mainly focuses on reducing the power of the FIA president.

The former FIA steward wants to eliminate the president's ability to arbitrarily dismiss people, with the American saying that there should be a senate in place. According to Mayer, an FIA president should primarily be advisory rather than executive.

Furthermore, there is also a focus from Mayer on the transparency and honesty that comes from the sporting body, believing that there should be more insight into the decisions and expenditures of the FIA.

"It's about values - honesty, transparency, and service - not control. Real responsibility means clear decisions, honest reporting, and leadership that earns trust by listening and delivering real growth," says Mayer.