How the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is finding themselves in hot water with the upcoming presidential election.
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body of motorsport, setting rules for different racing series such as Formula One to ensure safety of the drivers and spectators.
The FIA is fairly controversial with the current president, Mohammad Ben Sulayem, being disliked by fans of racing. There are penalties that some people find to be unfair and there are some actions that others think should be penalized. Sometimes a penalty from the FIA can completely change the stance of championships and alter the race order drastically.
Currently there is a presidential race within the FIA with the election originally supposed to take place December 12, 2025. However, the election is to be postponed because Laura Villars, presidential candidate and Swiss-Italian driver currently competing in the Ligier European Series, is suing the FIA over the election rules.
Ben Sulayem was looking to be unopposed in the election because other contenders, such as Tim Mayer, have dropped out of the election race due to unfairness in the election rules. It protects Ben Sulayem’s position of president and Villars has put out statements to make it clear that she is trying to protect democracy within the FIA and not destroy it.
Villars filed the lawsuit in a Paris court as a référé, an expedited proceeding for matters that require a fast and timely decision from a judge. The first hearing date was set for November 10, 2025 regarding the suit and December’s election. She is pushing for the election to be suspended until a decision of the courts has been made as a part of the suit.
One rule in specific is the focus of the case and that rule states that each presidential candidate must have a team of seven vice presidents, at least one from each of the FiA’s six global regions, to sign off and support their candidacy. The issue with the rule is that there is only one vice president in the South America region, making it impossible for other presidential candidates to run.
There cannot be overlap in the vice presidents used to sign off on each candidate and with the singular vice president in South America already supporting Sulayem, Villars can not run. The rule keeps Mohammad Ben Sulayem in his position and doesn’t allow for contenders to run as it is currently written.
Rules may change as the suit is making its run through the courts of Paris, but not much has been released to the public in terms of the current standings of the case.