Amid the championship battles and packed Formula One calendar, a less-visible but potentially game-changing race is slowly brewing behind the scenes. The FIA, which governs the open-wheel racing giant and other motorsports, is approaching its presidential elections on December 12.
While the candidacies of former F1 steward Tim Mayer and a former Miss Belgium have stirred interest, acting president Mohammed Ben Sulayem appears poised for an almost landslide victory.
MBS Poised for Landslide Victory Despite Stirring Opposition As FIA Elections Near
25-year-old Virginie Philippot made the headlines a few days ago after the 2017 Miss Belgium declared her candidacy in the upcoming FIA Presidential elections. Philippot announced on social media last Tuesday that she is entering December’s presidential race, becoming the fourth candidate.
Also in the running are Mayer, who has been campaigning since July with his “FIA Forward” initiative; 28-year-old Swiss racer Laura Villars; and the current FIA president, Ben Sulayem (MBS), who is seeking a second term.
A victory, however, appears almost certain for MBS, who has led the FIA since 2021. According to reports from TheRace.com, the incumbent president is poised to win, as it now seems unlikely that any rival will be able to mount a qualifying challenge against him.
🚨 A big twist in the race to be FIA president, as incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem appears to be on course to stand unopposed.@NobleF1 has the full story on why it now seems impossible for rivals to qualify to stand ➡️ https://t.co/zh55MDUz2uhttps://t.co/zh55MDUz2u
— The Race (@wearetherace) October 8, 2025
To appear on the ballot against the 63-year-old head, the trio must first assemble what is called the “Presidential list” by the prescribed Oct. 24 deadline. This list requires that the presidential candidate be accompanied by a team of 10 officials: a president of the senate, a deputy president for automobile mobility and tourism, a deputy president for sport, and seven vice-presidents for sport.
Furthermore, the seven vice-presidents must be selected from a pool of candidates pre-approved by the FIA as eligible members of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).
Additionally, the appointments must represent a global spread, meaning there should be one representative each from North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa, with the remaining two drawn from Europe.
Complicating matters further, the two African candidates, namely, Rodrigo Rocha (Mozambique) and Amina C. Mohamed (Kenya), are reportedly aligned with the incumbent president. Rocha, in particular, appears on Ben Sulayem’s presidential list alongside Ecclestone, the wife of former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
Although the presidential race remains technically open, the window for opposition could close if none of MBS’s rivals manage to assemble a valid presidential list by the October deadline.
As of now, it seems very unlikely that this will happen, and it’s unclear why Sulayem’s challengers haven’t been able to find any eligible candidates from the FIA-approved WMSC list.