Carlos Sainz Snr has announced that he will not stand in this year's election for the presidency of the FIA.

"This message is to publicly confirm that I have finally decided not to run for the presidency of the FIA in this year's election," said the Spaniard in a statement. "I have worked hard these past months to understand in depth the situation at the FIA and the demands and complexities that come with such an important project.

"After a thoughtful reflection, I have come to the conclusion that the present circumstances are not ideal to set the grounds for my candidacy," he added. "Furthermore, I have realized that properly running for President would notably compromise my preparation for the Dakar and I do not wish to weaken my commitment to Ford and my team. These concerns have therefore inclined me to be realistic and desist from my FIA endeavour for now.

"Despite stepping down from this race, my passion for serving and leading within the motorsport world hasn't changed and I still believe the organization needs important changes, which I remain genuinely hopeful that will be tackled in the upcoming years. Both racing and mobility have been my life and I will closely follow future developments with great interest. I will always support my sport and try to contribute in all meaningful ways to improve mobility for road users around the world.

"Finally, I want to sincerely thank you all for the messages of support, encouragement and advice I have received during the past weeks. They have reinforced my confidence to continue striving towards my present and future goals and I'm truly grateful."

His claim that "present circumstances are not ideal to set the grounds for my candidacy", is widely believed to refer to changes made to the FIA's statutes earlier this month which would make it difficult for anyone to stand against the current president, Mohammed ben Sulayem.

Sainz' decision means that currently there is nobody standing against Ben Sulayem, a situation that will worry critics of the Emirati, of which there are many.