Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been re-elected as President of the FIA for a second four-year term. He was elected with 91.51% of the votes and was the only candidate available.
The election process have been denounced by other candidats, like steward Tim Mayer, racing driver Laura Villars, and influencer Virginie Philippot, because the rule required that each candidate should put in their team one vice president from each of the seven FIA global regions. However, in South America there was only one person available, Fabiana Ecclestone, who had pledged allegiance to Sulayem, so none of their bids were approved.
As such, many have said that the election has been rigged and Villars, a 28-year-old Swiss driver, has sued FIA over the undemocratic process in France. The court will begin on February 16, two months into Ben Sulayem's term.
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Ben Sulayem was first appointed as FIA President in December 2021, succeeding Jean Todt, and has faced criticism from many sectors of the motorsport: from drivers (due to the large fines he imposed to drivers who swore) to former members of the governing body who resigned citing lack of transparency and conflicting moral values.