Mohammed Ben Sulayem Announces Bid For Second Term As FIA President

Mohammed Ben Sulayem will stand for a second four-year term as FIA president in December, saying he would welcome any rival candidate and that he is on a mission to grow motorsport and make Formula One’s governing body stronger.

Speaking to Reuters at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Emirati said he had taken the decision, which was widely assumed, after conferring with members of the International Automobile Federation.

“I feel having three years in a complex federation like the FIA is not enough,” the 63-year-old former rally driver explained, stating his re-election bid openly for the first time.

He said he was proud of what had been achieved under his mandate and saw no reason to do anything differently the second time around.

“Do I need more time? Yes. Has it been easy? Never. Has it been enjoyable? Sometimes.

“So, I am going (to stand). I consulted with most of the members. I speak to them.”

The Emirati said he wanted to “keep growing motorsport. To make the FIA stronger and stronger. This is my ambition, and that’s what I will do.”

He suggested the FIA, which ultimately owns the Formula One championship although the long-term commercial rights are held by Liberty Media, had been “neglected”.

“Raw deals have been given to the FIA. It doesn’t make sense to me that one (Formula One) driver and one team principal make more money than all of the FIA, and the FIA owns the championship. Is that fair?,” he said.

Ben Sulayem’s first term has been marked by controversy since he was elected in 2021 as successor to former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt.

There have been battles with Liberty Media over commercial matters and accusations of sexism, and he has angered drivers in both rallying and Formula One by clamping down on swearing with heavy fines.

Senior staff have left the FIA, leading to reports of an exodus, and there have been questions raised about statute changes that critics say will limit the powers of audit and ethics committees.

On the plus side, the FIA last week reported a 4.7 million euro ($5.34 million) profit after reporting a loss of 24 million euros in 2021.

A new “Concorde Agreement” between all Formula One stakeholders is being negotiated, and both the FIA and Liberty Media say talks are going well.

Former FIA secretary general for motorsport Shaila-Ann Rao, one of the high-profile departees, has returned as an advisor to the president, and Cadillac will join as an 11th team in 2026 after FIA backing in the face of initial F1 resistance.

RECENT NEWS

Game On For $70m Esports World Cup In Saudi Arabia

Esports World Cup begins in Saudi Arabia with prize pot of over $70m Read more

Saudi Arabia Drives Middle East Push Into $600bn Global Sports Market: Report

A new report by Kearney Middle East finds hat Saudi Arabia has allocated $38bn in sports investments to become a global... Read more

Cristiano Ronaldo Signs $680m Deal To Stay In Saudi Arabia With Al Nassr: Report

Cristiano Ronaldo has signed what has been dubbed the ‘most lucrative contract in sport history’ to stay with Saudi... Read more

Guggenheim Partners Mark Walter To Buy LA Lakers For World Record $10bn

The valuation comfortably beats the previous record for a sports franchise sale of $6.1bn when Boston Celtics got sold ... Read more

BeIN Sport To Broadcast Premier League Football In UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman And Across MENA Until 2028

beIN Media Group renews exclusive Premier League rights across 24 MENA countries through the 2027/28 season Read more

Cristiano Ronaldo Named Ambassador For $78m Prize-pot Esports World Cup 2025 In Saudi Arabia

Cristiano Ronaldo named global ambassador for the Esports World Cup 2025 in Saudi Arabia, featuring over 2,000 pro play... Read more