FIA election to go ahead despite legal challenge

The FIA's presidential election is set to go ahead next week, although legal proceedings could overturn the result in February.

A quirk in the election rules for motorsport's governing body means no other candidate is able to run against the incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem on 12 December.

Swiss racing driver Laura Villars had expressed an intention to stand against Ben Sulayem and launched a legal action against the FIA in October to challenge its election process.

Her lawyer sought an emergency judgement from a Paris court to suspend the election but it will take place as scheduled in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with Ben Sulayem set to be handed a second four-year term.

While no decision was made by the court, a press release from Villars said the judge "held that the irregularities raised regarding the presidential election must be examined".

Villars' lawyer Robin Binsard said: "We will therefore continue this litigation against the FIA before the judges sitting on the merits. A first hearing is scheduled for 16 February 2026."

An FIA spokesperson said: "The French Court has issued its decision on 3rd December, confirming that the election for the President of the FIA will proceed on 12th December at the FIA General Assemblies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

"The FIA remains focused on the forthcoming General Assemblies and discussing with its member clubs globally important issues for both motorsport and automotive mobility."

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The press release said the election's "validity, in light of the objections raised, may be reviewed, challenged, or annulled" at that hearing, when issues raised by Villars "will be addressed for the first time before the court".

The FIA has been approached for comment.

Villars announced her candidacy in September but, like American Tim Mayer, was unable to put together the required slate of potential vice-presidents from an official list of 29 by the 24 October deadline.

Every candidate must name one person from all the FIA global regions but there is only one South American on the official list, and Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone - wife of former F1 boss Bernie - is already on Ben Sulayem's team.

That prevents any other candidate from naming a potential vice-president from South America, which means no-one else can enter the election.

The issues raised by Villars include the "impossibility of presenting an alternative list" and the "unprecedented situation of a single eligible candidate" for South America, plus "the compliance of the electoral procedures with the FIA's stated principles of governance, democracy, and integrity".

Fellow candidate Mayer accused the FIA of "lacking transparency" and "the illusion of democracy" when he said in October he was abandoning his campaign for the presidency.

In response at the time, an FIA spokesperson said: "The FIA presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage."

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