FIA election in turmoil as ethics complaints filed and Mohammed ben Sulayem to run unoppos

A former Formula 1 steward who had planned to stand for president of the FIA has demanded changes to the election process. It follows revelations that, due to a procedural technicality, only incumbent president Mohammed ben Sulayem will be eligible to feature on December's ballot paper.

All hopefuls must provide a roster of vice-presidents for sport, representing various regions globally, as part of their application. However, there is just one approved candidate qualified to represent South America, Fabiana Ecclestone, who forms part of Ben Sulayem's re-election campaign.

This means the trio of candidates who had publicly declared their intention to challenge Ben Sulayem - American former F1 steward Tim Mayer, Swiss racing driver Laura Villars and Belgian journalist Virginie Philippot - are unable to feature on the ballot.

At a press conference in Austin on Friday, before this weekend's United States Grand Prix, Mayer informed reporters including Express Sport that "there will be no election" as he confirmed his withdrawal from the contest. He said: "The election for the president of the FIA is over, but our campaign is not and neither is our mission to protect the integrity and reputation of the FIA.

"There will be no election, there will be no debate between ideas, no comparison of vision, no examination of leadership. There will only be one candidate - the incumbent - and that is not democracy. That is the illusion of democracy. Throughout our FIA Forward campaign, we've spoken of fairness reform and integrity of returning the FIA to its members.

"But, today, the outcome of this election and the flawed process that governs it proves how far we've drifted from that ideal. It's clear this is no longer a democratic process. When choice is replaced by control, democracy is diminished."

Mayer said his campaign has "submitted numerous ethics complaints" to the FIA regarding the circumstances. Nevertheless, he continued to make it apparent he holds little confidence of achieving any success on that front. The American continued: "We strongly believe a series of ethics violations have been committed in this election process and we have now submitted numerous ethics complaints.

"Assuming the Ethics Committee finds validity to our complaints, who does this go to for action? The president of the FIA or the senate president - both conflicted parties. And the statutes don't provide any other method or any appeal. Where is the accountability? This is how institutions fail and this is power without breaks."

Mayer is not the first amongst the self-declared candidates to have voiced concerns since it emerged that no-one would be able to challenge Ben Sulayem. Villars contacted Express Sport last week and made it apparent she is weighing up her legal options regarding the circumstances.

She said: "Formal exchanges are currently ongoing between my legal team and the FIA administration, as the current electoral procedure raises legitimate concerns of conformity with the FIA statutes. Independent legal opinions obtained by my team also confirm that several recent procedural changes are inconsistent with the statutes and must be corrected.

"In accordance with Article 1.3 of the FIA statutes, the federation must uphold the highest standards of governance, transparency and democracy. All options - including legal and judicial ones - therefore remain under consideration to ensure that these principles are fully respected, in line with the FIA's status as a French law non-profit association.

"As candidates, we share a collective responsibility to ensure that the FIA remains a beacon of transparency and democracy - principles that are the foundation of its legitimacy and global credibility.

"Our campaign continues with determination and in full respect of institutional dialogue. We remain confident that a fair and transparent outcome will prevail, and that all candidates committed to the FIA's values will have the opportunity to compete on equal grounds."

Mayer expressed that he was "disappointed but not surprised" that the electoral system has resulted in nobody being able to challenge Ben Sulayem, maintaining he would have enjoyed "a very good chance" of securing victory in the election had he been permitted to stand.

Despite being unable to participate in the election, he insists his campaign is not over and stated: "As challenging as the last few months have been for our campaign and as hard as the situation is now, I feel proud that we've acted with integrity throughout."

He added: "So yes, the ballot box may be closed and the members voices are silenced for now, but we will keep driving the FIA forward until democracy, service and partnership are not just an illusion, but the living values that define our Federation every day."