F1
The Paris court authorizes the FIA elections; Laura Villars was heard in February.
© DPPI
The die is cast. The Paris court has given the green light for the FIA presidential elections to proceed. The sole candidate authorized to run is thus assured of his re-election. A loophole in the FIA's presidential list system initially allowed the incumbent president, Mohammed bin Sulayem, in office since 2021, to be the only candidate. With the Paris court's decision, the outcome of the election appears sealed in favor of the Dubai native's re-election.
To stand for the FIA presidency, each candidate must submit a presidential list in accordance with the regulations. This list must include a Senate president, a vice-president for motorsport and tourism, and a vice-president for sport, as well as seven regional vice-presidents for sport, who are themselves eligible to serve on the World Motor Sport Council (WMC) and must represent different regions. Furthermore, it is forbidden to appear on more than one presidential list simultaneously.
ALSO READ > The FIA confirms: Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the only eligible candidate for the presidency
The FIA's biased election system
The problem is this: for South America, the FIA approved only one vice-president for sport. This is Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of Bernie Ecclestone, a fervent supporter of Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Two other candidates, Virginie Philippot and Tim Mayer, also had to withdraw their candidacies because of this regulation.
A candidate since September, Laura Villars still hoped to prevent the FIA presidential elections from taking place on December 12, 2024, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by challenging the validity of the voting rules. Despite her efforts, the Paris Judicial Court gave the green light to the governing body of motorsport. The French court nevertheless deemed the Swiss candidate's complaint legitimate.
The judge granted him another hearing, scheduled for February 16, 2026. This will allow for an examination of the FIA's democratic process. The judge in chambers ruled that this dispute falls under the jurisdiction of the court of first instance, and we will therefore pursue this case against the FIA before the trial judges. A first hearing is scheduled for February 16, 2026. " explains lawyer Robin Binsard.
« The decision that follows could have a direct impact on the legitimacy of the election and on the future governance of the FIA " states the press release from Laura Villars.
ALSO READ > The FIA's race directives are once again being criticized by drivers in Qatar.
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Guillaume B.
06/12/2025 at 12:14 a.m.
Interesting, but... who exactly is this mysterious "Me Robin Binsard," whom Louise du Manoir throws in our faces without any further ado? He's Laura Villars' lawyer. Personally, I would have considered hiring someone else—for fear of running into his other clients in the waiting room (according to his Wikipedia page: the rapper Mister You aka Younes Latifi, Patrick Balkany, Guillaume Soro, Aurane Reihanian, Pavel Durov, the artist Richard Orlinski, or the former minister Damien Abad).
vincent moyet
05/12/2025 at 12:06 a.m.
An election like a banana republic... That's great for the FIA's credibility!!
Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
04/12/2025 at 03:55 a.m.
A… farce… ‼️ Outrageous… !!!!!! 😎👀🤨👀👎
Yves-Henri RANDIER
04/12/2025 at 01:54 a.m.
Well, the Emirati autocrat is going to be re-elected, a shame for the FIA and motorsport, but the Paris court has ordered a trial against the FIA to rule on the legitimacy of the December 12th election in Tashkent, which could call the result into question retroactively. Will MBS unleash his supporters to storm the Paris courthouse like a certain Don Snoozie Taco (aka Piggy to his friends) stormed the Capitol in January 2021?