FIA Assembly votes in favour of statute changes

Formula One’s governing body approved statute changes on Thursday that critics say will make it harder to challenge FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s bid for re-election.

A spokesman for the International Automobile Federation, whose world championships also include rallying and Formula E, said 83.35 per cent voted in favour at the General Assembly in Macau.

The changes have been championed by Ben Sulayem, an Emirati who will be standing for a second four-year term in December and is currently unopposed.

The Paris-based FIA also groups national motoring associations and campaigns for road safety.

Austria’s Automobile Association (OAMTC) had earlier urged FIA members to vote against the proposed changes in a letter seen by Reuters ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

The unsigned letter emailed to the mobility section of the FIA’s world council said the FIA risked lasting damage to its reputation and warned of a “dark period of democratic backsliding.

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“There is no urgency regarding these proposed changes … they risk further contributing to the erosion of the FIA’s reputation for competent and transparent governance,” it added.

“It cannot be — and is not — a coincidence that changes relevant to the FIA’s elections have been promoted by the FIA’s leadership at the same time as the FIA’s incumbent president has announced an intention to run in those elections.

“Where there is even a risk of these changes appearing to benefit the current FIA administration, and not the FIA itself, the changes should not be adopted.”

Competition welcomed

Ben Sulayem told Reuters last month, when he confirmed he was standing, that he welcomed competition in the name of democracy.

Ben Sulayem recognised he had enemies but said he was confident of the support of a majority of FIA members. “I only have to answer to my members. And they are happy. Actually, they are very happy. They are extremely happy,” he said.

The former rally driver has been involved in several controversies since being elected in 2021 as the first FIA president from the Middle East.

He has been at loggerheads with drivers as well as drawing criticism from FIA insiders, while some senior employees have left the organisation.

Reid and Motorsport UK head David Richards had opposed other statute changes approved by the General Assembly last December that they said limited the powers of audit and ethics committees.

The FIA said in a statement it had strengthened its corporate governance policies to ensure rules, practices and processes were robust and transparent.

“The proposed amendments … are designed to further strengthen processes around governance and confidentiality,” it said. “They will grant the nominations committee more time to examine the eligibility criteria of candidates and help to ensure consistency and rigour in the electoral process.”