What is the role of President of the FIA and what do they do?

Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been re-elected as president of the FIA, meaning he is set to continue in the role for at least another four years after starting in 2021.

The 64-year-old is the 12th person to lead the governing body, but he has done so with much controversy, especially as he was re-elected with no opposition during the official process.

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But there is still a lot of support for Ben Sulayem from certain FIA member clubs, so what does he do and what is the history of the role?

The FIA president is the external face of motor racing’s governing body, who leads the organisation and oversees any changes it makes to the championships under its umbrella.

To become the FIA president, one must run for an election which is held every four years where FIA Member Clubs are eligible to vote. Those clubs span across six continents, including the likes of the Royal Automobile Club in London, the Australian Automobile Association in Canberra or the Canadian Automobile Association in Ottawa who all vote depending on which manifesto it likes the most.

An FIA president is limited to three terms meaning they can serve for a maximum of 12 years, therefore Ben Sulayem can run for election again in 2029.

Mohammed ben Sulayem, FIA President

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Once elected, the president is in charge of running the FIA and has a big say on whatever changes are made, for example to the F1 race director.

In a shock announcement in November 2024, the FIA confirmed Niels Wittich had left the role with immediate effect in which it was understood that he was sacked amid a falling out with the president.

Wittich was replaced by the Formula 2 race director Rui Marques at a similar time it was announced the FIA had launched a new Officials Department to start a production line of trained race officials - headed by Ben Sulayem.

So the president is in charge of various initiatives run by the FIA to help grow motor racing. More of these initiatives include aiming to be Net Zero by 2030, introducing sustainable fuels to F1 for 2026 or even partnering with Cranfield University to award the Motorsport Engineering Scholarship to somebody with aspirations of a career within the industry. The projects are therefore at varying levels of the motorsport pyramid.

The president must also undertake vast public work. On an F1 weekend, for example, Ben Sulayem is regularly in parc ferme after track sessions and on the podium presenting the winner’s medal to the driver on the top step or walking down the pre-race grid networking with contacts.

It is also Ben Sulayem’s job to host the FIA Prize Giving ceremony, which at the end of each year honours all the newly crowned champions of the different FIA series, where the president delivers a speech and takes photographs with those receiving trophies.

Is the FIA President employed by F1?

F1 does not employ the FIA president, because the championship is actually sanctioned by the organisation meaning it has no say on who the president is or what they do.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

What other series does the FIA President cover?

The FIA president is involved in any motorsport series that is regulated by the organisation, from F1 all the way down to karting.

There are currently over 50 series that are run by the FIA, seven of which are considered to be world championships: F1, Formula E, World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship, World Rallycross Championship, World Rally-Raid Championship and the World Karting Championship.

So the FIA president could have an involvement in any one of those series and may ultimately have the final say on decisions made regarding that respective championship.

How much does the President of the FIA get paid?

The FIA president does not have a salary because the governing body is a non-profit organisation, which generates revenue through entry fees and super licence fees from the teams that compete within its championships.

Why was the FIA presidential election controversial?

Ben Sulayem was elected in 2021 with 61.62% of the votes compared to 36.62% for opponent Graham Stoker, but this time around he ran unopposed. That was due to various technicalities with the process because, initially, there were a few interested parties in running for president.

The first was double world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr, who announced he was considering running only to eventually opt against it. Then there was former steward Tim Mayer, plus Swiss racer Laura Villars and Belgian journalist Virginie Philippot throwing their names into the hat, however all were unable to officially stand.

Tim Mayer

Photo by: Clive Mason/Getty Images

That is because to do so, a candidate must put together a team of seven vice-presidents from the FIA's six global regions with two coming from Europe. South America, however, only had one potential option which was Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of Bernie, who had already pledged her support for Ben Sulayem.

It's arguably no surprise that it all led to that outcome though, because in April Robert Reid stepped down as FIA's deputy president for sport. He cited a "breakdown of governance standards" and "critical decisions being made without due process" as the reasons for his departure.

Past FIA Presidents

President

Years in position

Mohammed Ben Sulayem

2021 - present

Jean Todt

2009 - 2021

Max Mosley

1993 - 2009

Jean-Marie Balestre

1985 - 1993

Paul Alfons Furst Von Metternich-Winneburg

1975 - 1985

Prince Amaury De Merode

1971 - 1975

Wilfrid Andrews

1965 - 1971

Prince Filippo Caracciolo Di Castagneto

1963 - 1965

Count Hadelin de Liedekerke Beaufort

1958 - 1963

Jehan de Rohan-Chabot

1936 - 1958

Count Robert de Vogue

1931 - 1936

Baron Etienne De Zuylen de Nyevelt

1904 - 1931

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