Presidency of the FIA, between continuity and renewal

The challenge at the end of the year, apart from the various world championship titles which have yet to be awarded, is surely the election of the new president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). After three successive mandates and twelve years of presidency, Jean Todt relinquishes his position in December. Two candidates have since stated their intention to run for the position, and it could be that their aspirations are very different from each other.

The ex-athlete versus the politician

This is undoubtedly the most antagonistic point between the two candidates. If Mohammed Ben Sulayem cut his teeth in motorsport in the past, Graham Stoker followed a completely different path.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, during a test of theERC in Czech Republic – Photo Jorge Cunha / DPPI

The native of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) cut his teeth in the Middle East Rally Championship, from which he emerged victorious fourteen times in as many participations, between 1986 and 2002. Ben Sulayem has become an important figure in motorsport in his region, just like Nasser Al-Attiyah, the experienced Qatari pilot. After hanging up his gloves in 2002, the Emirati this time launched into the world of politics, and headed, among other things, his country's Sports Federation.

But Ben Sulayem definitely aims higher, and tried for the first time to run for the presidency of the FIA ​​in 2013, before hastily withdrawing. He still manages to slip into the presidential list proposed by Jean Todt, the current president, and has occupied for eight years one of the seven positions of vice-president in charge of sports, in his Middle East region.

For his part, Graham Stoker cannot define himself as a true professional sportsman, he who presented himself above all as “a motorsport enthusiast” in our columns last August. A well-known and recognized lawyer in Great Britain, Stoker has climbed the ranks of motorsport (since 1985!), passing through almost all strata, from permanent commissioner in the British championship to commissioner in F1, from president of the RAC Motorsport Council to full member of the Motorsport Council. And we move on.

READ ALSO : Graham Stoker: “Many challenges ahead”

A significant experience, which will also lead him to the position of vice-president of the FIA, also under the leadership of Jean Todt. A true right-hand man of the French leader, Stoker relies on an unfailing knowledge of the Federation and the authorities surrounding it. During these twelve long years, he will bring his share of expertise in a field that he knows like the back of his hand, and will go to the front when necessary. A valuable and significant asset for Jean Todt.

Lists soon to be revealed

One of Mohammed Ben Sulayem's assets is undoubtedly the innovative side of his candidacy. Never has a non-European chaired the FIA, and this could unconsciously work in his favor during the next election. The Emirati is also an important player in a booming region in the world of sport, which is gaining a little more weight each year. The Middle East hosts, for example, the last three Grands Prix of the F1 season (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi) and is part of a long-term relationship of trust with the authorities of the discipline. Proof of its involvement and its desire to interfere in the global automotive landscape, Saudi Arabia has hosted for almost two years the most famous automobile races. rally-raid, the Dakar. An association set to last.

Ben Sulayem is certainly also banking on the popularity of some of his peers to establish his so-called presidential list. In his little papers would appear the name of Fabiana Ecclestone, not really unknown to the motorsport battalion. The Brazilian lawyer and companion of Bernie Ecclestone, ex-CEO of Formula 1, has a CV that speaks for her. After having worked on multiple occasions on behalf of the Brazilian Grand Prix, she could join Ben Sulayem's team, and thus become the first female vice-president of a region at the FIA. Dubaiote can also count on the support of his friend Robert Reid, ex-co-driver and world champion alongside Richard Burns in 2001.

As for Graham Stoker, one name speaks for him. That of Tom Kristensen, the record holder for the number of victories in 24 Hours of Le Mans (9). The Dane would be Stoker's true right-hand man, as he was for Todt. And inevitably, it gets people talking.

©V. Glo – AUTOhebdo

But the Briton can also count on his former peers to establish his list, like Thierry Willemarck (delegate president for mobility) and Brian Gibbons (president of the Senate), already working at the FIA ​​currently, and who would confine themselves to to the same role under the leadership of Stoker. This is also one of the caveats that could be made to the candidacy of the former lawyer: acting in the tradition of his future predecessor. At 69 years old, can Graham Stoker really embody something new within a Federation in the midst of change, and at the dawn of the new challenges that await it? That's the whole question.

Time for proposals and promises

If the experience of the position and the environment speaks for Stoker, the proposals put on the table by the Briton have nothing revolutionary so far. During his visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans last August, he said he wanted to tackle different themes such as, pell-mell: safety, sustainable development, diversity... Themes already present during the successive mandates of Jean Todt at the head of the FIA.

“The last twelve years have been a revolution. We have a strong group of clubs doing great work all over the world. We look at all the problems that exist and on which we can act to try to remedy them. We want to make sure that we continue to grow, continue to be strong, and maintain an important voice. I think we are the right team to face these challenges. »

On the Ben Sulayem side, the emphasis is placed on the modernization and transparency of the International Automobile Federation. The Emirati would like to bring his experience as a businessman and entrepreneur to the international body, by appointing, for example, a CEO at its head to deal with daily issues. “A president is elected to preside » he said. The ex-pilot also advocates greater financial transparency on the part of the Federation, and could draw inspiration from the models of other organizations, such as the IOC, to bring about this change.

The crux of the matter could be found in one of the themes addressed by the two camps, and not the least of which is the number of licensees and the accessibility of this sport throughout the world. If Ben Sulayem suggested the appearance of new machines at more accessible prices in the long term “double the number of licensees worldwide”, Stoker is counting on the establishment of detection and training academies, as well as the introduction of new, less expensive, entry-level championships.

If until now, the proposals of each side are not part of a head-on opposition, the way of going about it tends to vary. Between Ben Sulayem's fierce desire to modernize a Federation that is too aging for his taste, and the continuity in which Stoker wishes to build his mandate, there is only one step.

The outcome of this confrontation will take place on December 17 in Paris, once the 203 voters have decided this famous question. The candidate who obtains the absolute majority (50% + 1) will be elected President of the International Automobile Federation. The coming years will also be of capital importance in the shift that motorsport wishes to take, between diversity, accessibility and ecological and sustainable transition. And one of these two candidates will have to embody it best.