The future of the FIA is set to be determined on Friday, December 12, as Mohammed Ben Sulayem is looking to continue in his role while Tim Mayer and Laura Villars are looking to dethrone the incumbent.
It has taken quite a while for candidates to come forward, as there were a few months during which there were only rumors of potential candidates rather than confirmations, with Susie Wolff and Carlos Sainz Sr. both reportedly considering running.
Now there are three actual candidates, so let's have a look at each.
1. Mohammed Ben Sulayem
The Emirati president has been at the helm since December 2021, following the resignation of Jean Todt. Mohammed Ben Sulayem has not been a fan-favorite by any means. He has publicly stated many of his views that are not within the consensus opinion and has made some questionable policy changes, with the most notable one relating to driver swearing.
Additionally, Sulayem has been at the center of numerous controversies surrounding intervening in race results and having an overreach of power, hence the many senior FIA officials who stepped down over the past year. Nevertheless, he is looking to continue his presidency for yet another term.
2. Tim Mayer
Tim Mayer is looking to transform the FIA into a more transparent organization with much better leadership. The former steward has issues with the current leadership. He certainly has the motivation after he was allegedly dismissed from his role as a steward through a text message from Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s assistant.
The American man has been building his plans towards overcoming the incumbent, as he feels Sulayem still has the needle pointing towards him. Additionally, Mayer has shared his ideas for Formula 1 with Stefano Domenicali. He surely has a vision and hopes to turn things around at the FIA starting soon.
3. Laura Villars
Laura Villars is the first ever female candidate to run for FIA president and is only 28 years old. The Swiss racing driver is looking to make a huge impact in motorsport and has a clear plan for her endeavors.
Villars is also looking for more transparency within the FIA and is looking to aid younger drivers in breaking into motorsport. She appears to be placing quite a big focus on helping females have more equal opportunities. She views Susie Wolff as an inspiration and takes after many of her beliefs as well.
As we get closer to the FIA presidency election in December, we should start to see the plans of each candidate in much greater detail. The hope from everyone is for motorsport to improve upon its shortcomings over the past few years.