FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was won an overwhelming majority for controversial changes to the governing body’s statutes despite a last-minute warning over their impact.
During votes taken at the FIA’s General Assembly in Macau on Thursday, it is understood that modifications to the FIA’s statutes and ethics codes were both passed with more than 80% support despite an open call for a delay.
As reported earlier by The Race, Austria’s OAMTC (Osterreichischer Automobil-, Motorrad- und Touring Club), one of the founding members of the FIA, had written to senior figures warning them of dire consequences if they backed the revisions.
In the letter to members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT), it suggested that tweaks to the statutes that included alterations to the FIA presidential election processes posed dangers to the governing body.
“Where there is even a risk of these changes appearing to benefit the current FIA administration, and not the FIA itself, the changes should not be adopted,” said the letter.
“There is ample time for more careful reflection, and if these are desirable changes they will still be desirable at a future General Assembly after the next election.
“Further, there is a material risk that the proposed FIA Statute changes will be found legally invalid, as they have been endorsed through World Council meetings that were not properly constituted, having intentionally excluded elected members from participating and voting (due to those members not having signed punitive side contracts with the FIA, exposing them to personal penalties and damages).”
But while Austria’s calls to postpone the vote triggered some robust debate in the meeting, and was duly supported by some clubs, there was nowhere near enough support to block the modifications going forward.
Presidential campaign
The level of backing will be viewed as a boost to Ben Sulayem, who is seeking re-election as president later this year.
It is not clear right now whether or not Ben Sulayem will be unopposed for a potential second term, with no challenger having yet come forward.
However, Carlos Sainz Sr. revealed recently that he was considering standing but has not yet indicated what his final decision will be.
Ben Sulayem recently posted about support he had garnered in a letter he received from a host of clubs ahead of his election campaign.
One of the letters, from clubs in the Americas, particularly praised the way Ben Sulayem had turned around the FIA’s financial plight in making it profitable since he took over at the end of 2021.
“We are all acutely aware of the catastrophic financial situation you inherited,” it said.
“Without the decisive and bold actions you took from day one, the very future of the FIA would have been at risk. The turnaround achieved in less than four years is nothing short of extraordinary, especially when coupled with the implementation of professional management systems that you deployed in parallel.”
Speaking in Macau this week, Ben Sulayem said: “Following the hard work of many, the FIA is now a financially sustainable organisation.
“In 2024 we delivered a profit of €4.7million which will be reinvested into key projects across the Federation and our Member Clubs, supporting my commitment to doubling global motorsport participation and the important work we are doing in grassroots across our pyramids.”
In the wake of the vote in support of the amendments, the FIA issued a statement outlining how the modifications were aimed at delivering improvements to how it runs things as well as help better manage the election process.
“The FIA has taken steps since 2021 to strengthen its corporate governance policies. These policies guide the FIA’s operations and ensure its rules, practices and processes are robust and transparent," it said.
“The proposed amendments to the FIA Statutes are designed to further strengthen processes around governance and confidentiality.
“They will grant the nominations committee more time to examine the eligibility criteria of candidates, and help to ensure consistency and rigour in the electoral process.
“All proposed amendments were voted through by a super majority of FIA Member Clubs at the General Assemblies, in line with the democratic process which governs decision making within the Federation.”
