Ben Sulayem's turbulent tenure at the head of the FIA, which Carlos Sainz hopes to correct.

Carlos Sainz's entry into the race as a candidate for the FIA ​​presidency is set to cause a real earthquake in the automotive world, not just in the sporting arena. At the helm of a controversial and contentious mandate, Mohamed Ben Sulayem could become the first president since the 1980s to lose an election while in office, if the two-time world champion's candidacy is successful. But Ben Sulayem has made too many enemies during his controversial term, especially in Formula 1.

While some rumors indicate that the current president had no potential rivals for reelection, he faces a highly credible and prestigious alternative. And Sainz didn't take the plunge . For months, he has been carefully considering entering the fray, as he explained to El Confidencial firsthand . The Spaniard has strong support, vital for a president in office.

With his confrontational and autocratic style, many sectors of motorsports now consider Ben Sulayem more of a nuisance than a figure of consensus capable of providing constructive responses to the problems facing motorsports. A case in point is the trail of resignations, dismissals, and dismissals within the FIA ​​that have marked his tenure since he became president in 2021.

Clashes in Formula 1 with everyone

Ben Sulayem has sought to defend the FIA's powers and strengthen its role in motorsport, but his personality and conception of exercising power are creating scorched-earth politics around him. Hence the call from strategic sectors of motorsport for Sainz to put himself forward as a candidate.

The current president quickly began clashing with Liberty in his eagerness to defend the Federation's prerogatives in Formula 1. His first clash with its owners was notorious when, in January 2023, he described Formula 1's valuation as an "inflated offer" in response to an alleged takeover by the Saudi investment fund PIF, earning him harsh criticism and a direct letter from Liberty marking its commercial territory. If Ben Sulayem was trying to scupper the deal or show his teeth with Liberty, he was already leaving feathers in his seed.

Clashes with Liberty have been recurrent. In his eagerness to grab a share of Formula 1's financial pie and defend the FIA's powers, the current president has tarnished his image over lesser-known issues , such as his crusade against drivers' jewelry and his political statements. The issue escalated last year with the sanctions imposed on Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc for inappropriate language, to which the drivers responded with a harsh statement against the president.

"We urge the FIA ​​President to also consider his own tone and language when speaking to, or even about, our member drivers, whether in a public forum or elsewhere," the drivers responded in unison . "Our members are adults and do not need to be instructed through the media on such trivial matters as the wearing of jewelry and underwear."

However, Ben Sulayem raised the stakes when, in January, he established a strict sanctions regime to control behavior and language in the different categories of motorsport, with particularly harsh sanctions for Formula 1 drivers through a broad classification of punishable conduct , accompanied by high fines.

A long list of casualties

The language fire also reached the World Rally Championship , when Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux was fined 10,000 euros at the Swedish Rally for the language he used in an innocent interview. At the next rally, the Kenyan Safari, the drivers decided to implement a policy of silence . They also decided to create the equivalent of the Formula 1 GPDA, the World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA), for their relations with the FIA, something that had not been necessary until then.

Unilateral publication of calendars, opposition to the number of sprint events, conflicts over the entry of the Andretti team… The disagreements and conflicts have been numerous. Ben Sulayem has also failed to articulate an appropriate policy with the Formula 1 stewards , with decisions lacking consistency due to their operating structure. Recently, Ben Sulayem has even criticized the team budget cap, one of the first measures implemented by Liberty since its arrival in Formula 1.

But if Formula 1 is struggling to find oxygen abroad, neither is it on the domestic front. A president arrives at the Federation with a closed list of his trusted team. Whether existing staff or collaborators who have arrived with the current president, there has been a personnel carnage, a steady trickle since he took office.

The latest, and most impactful, is Robert Reid , FIA vice-president of sport, one of his most trusted men and part of Ben Sulayem's initial candidacy. Natalie Robyn , FIA CEO; Steve Nielsen , Formula 1 sporting director; Tim Goss , single-seater technical director ; Paolo Basarri , FIA Compliance Officer; Janette Tan , Formula 2 race director; Niels Wittich , race director and successor to Michael Massi in Formula 1... The list is longer, including the head of the Mobility area, Jacob Bangsgaard .

Former allies, against

The temperature around Ben Sulayem continued to rise recently with harsh criticism from David Richards , president of Motorsport UK, the British federation, and a key supporter of his appointment. The resignation of Reid, who was close to Richards, sparked criticism of the president for his autocratic policies and lack of transparency .

" I have long been concerned about the erosion of accountability and good governance within the FIA . Recently, an issue has arisen that has forced me to take a position and requires an explanation," Richards wrote in a harsh letter to his members, which serves as an exposé of the current president's policies within the FIA ​​itself.

"The final straw, three weeks ago, was being asked to sign a new confidentiality agreement, which I considered a 'gagging order,' " explained the letter to the members of the British institution, in which he outlined his criticism of the current president's management and dropped a warning : "With 2025 being an election year, it is more important than ever that we remind the FIA ​​of its responsibilities and continue to hold them to account on behalf of the sport and its members around the world, and that is what I intend to do."

"Various techniques have also been employed that restrict the proper functioning of the World Motor Sport Council, most notably the use of electronic voting, which eliminates the opportunity for much-needed debate on key issues. The Audit and Ethics Committees have been severely limited and now lack autonomy from the Chairman's authority. Our representative in the UK, who questioned certain matters, was summarily dismissed along with the Chairman of the Audit Committee," explains Richards, one of the most influential figures in motorsport. Former Subaru boss during Sainz's time in the World Rally Championship. Is this Carlos Sainz's turn?