Automobilismo’s Federação Internacional will consider a significant statutory change to its governing structure next month. The current president of the entity, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, presented a project that removes the ceiling for remaining in the association’s top position. Atualmente, the regulation establishes a limit period of 12 years for exercising executive functions. The proposal will be vetted by internal councils and could redefine political control of global motor sport.
The current model determines that the representative of the highest motorsport body can only go through two consecutive re-elections. Essa directive was introduced during the management of Jean Todt, former director of Ferrari who governed the institution between 2009 and 2021. Mohammed Ben Sulayem won the initial election in December 2021 and obtained a new mandate at the end of last year, when he ran without opponents in the official vote. Political opponents did not meet the minimum registration criteria required by domestic legislation.
Detalhes of the institutional unification project
The federation seeks to establish normative alignment between its different deliberative departments at a global level. Segundo representatives of the sports organization, the intention is to extend the permanence format that is in force in the world councils and in the senate for the presidency. The plan requires validation in higher authorities before entering into force in the final statute.
- Análise and FIA Senado initial opinion
- Votação on Conselhos Mundiais from Esporte to Motor
- Final Deliberação in entity Assembleia Geral
- Homologação of the new rules for future elections
The federation’s electoral process requires each ticket to present seven names for the planet’s regional vice-presidencies. In last December’s election, the absence of competitors occurred due to the filling of these specific vacancies. Na América of Sul, the Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone was the only one eligible and already made up the current president’s group. Nomes like Carlos Sainz Sr, Tim Mayer and Laura Villars tried to make alternative candidacies viable, but they ran into the bureaucratic restrictions of the regulations.
Críticas internal and manager history
The move to remove time barriers on leadership generated immediate negative reactions in the racing community. The former commissioner of Fórmula 1, Tim Mayer, publicly defended the maintenance of current institutional control rules. The professional argued that the limits serve as protection against excessive centralization of decisions and help to guarantee the periodic renewal of sports leadership.
Antes from taking over the main post from Federação Internacional from Automobilismo, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has built a long trajectory on the race tracks. The manager was born in Emirados Árabes Unidos and won 14 titles in Campeonato, Rali and Oriente Médio during his competitive career. The former pilot integrated Conselho Mundial from Esporte to Motor for five years and assumed executive command with the promise of modernization.
Conflitos and controversial decisions at Fórmula 1
The Emirati’s administration has been marked by frequent friction with competitors and teams in the world championship. One of the first clashes involved the strict ban on the use of jewelry and ornaments in the cockpit of cars. The detailed inspection of riders’ underwear provoked public outcry from world champions including Britain’s Lewis Hamilton and Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.
The president faced internal legal questions about the fairness of his actions in official events on the international calendar. An independent investigation found alleged interference by the agent in the results of Grandes Prêmios, Arábia Saudita and Las Vegas in the 2023 season. The entity’s internal court closed the case after deciding that there was no evidence of irregular conduct by the manager.
Outra relevant controversy involved the attempt to curb the use of terms considered inappropriate in broadcasts and press conferences. Federação Internacional of Automobilismo imposed sporting sanctions on the Dutch Max Verstappen and the French Adrien Fourmaux for statements in the press. The body moderated the application of penalties after strong friction with the pilots association and criticism from the specialized media. The regulation also included vetoes against demonstrations of a political or ideological nature without prior authorization from the board.