08/07/2025
NEWS STORY
"I just laughed," says Mohammed ben Sulayem in reaction to presidential nominee Tim Mayer's claim of a "reign of terror" within the FIA under the Emirati.
Having missed the Austrian Grand Prix, Ben Sulayem was very much in evidence at Silverstone at the weekend, but so was Mayer, who was accompanied by David Richards, head of MotorsportUK and one of several influential figures to have spoken out over the current president.
Insisting that there was a "failure in leadership" at the FIA at his press conference on Friday, Mayer said: "Those people work very hard. They deserve leadership that provides them with tools, with a vision, with resources and more than anything else does not have a reign of terror every time they walk into the office."
Told of Mayer's comment, Ben Sulayem told Reuters: "I laughed. I actually had a smile. I said whoever is saying this, they are disconnected with the FIA. Honestly.
"You go to the FIA and just enter and see." he continued. "Sit with them, tell them it's just between you and them, and ask them the question. I think maybe he's confusing the period."
Under Ben Sulayem's presidency there has been controversy almost from the start.
Though he wasn't in place at the time of the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 he did oversee the subsequent investigation.
Since then he has been at odds with F1, almost to the point of legal action, along with drivers and members of his own staff, resulting in a significant turnover of high-level people.
His former Deputy President for Sport, Robert Reid, who resigned in April, said that under Ben Sulayem "decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to represent"".
There has been much criticism of the changes to the FIA's statutes which effectively give Ben Sulayem more control, to the point that he can almost pick and choose who stands against him for the presidency, Carlos Sainz Snr having recently abandoned his plan to stand.
"Have you ever read any article where I said negatively about a single person?" Ben Sulayem asked Reuters. "That's not me," he added.
Minded that as recently as May he had said that he had "cleaned up the FIA house" and, according to Reuters, "rid it of enemies who wanted to stab him in the back", Ben Sulayem replied: "It's not because they don't want to stab me, it's because there's no space left.
"Truly numbers do not lie," he added, "they (the members) are happier, they can see that the money is invested back in. And in everything there is governance."
Of the upcoming election, the former rally driver said: "It's like putting your helmet and gloves back on. Really, it reminds me of competitions, and competition is always good.
"We have such clear guidelines that now you cannot fiddle around with anything and that will never happen, not in my reign."
Thus far, Mayer is the only other potential candidate.
While the Austrian and British associations have been quite vocal in their condemnation of Ben Sulayem's presidency, at the weekend it was announced that Anar Alakbarov, President of the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation since 2014, has been appointed to the FIA Senate.