After Carlos Sainz Sr. ruled himself out of running against Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the FIA presidency, it looked as if the Emirati would keep hold of his position. Ben Sulayem’s tenure has been controversial, with many high-profile departures leaving the organisation. His policies have also been challenged by drivers, with the swearing row which saw him U-turn.
However, a former FIA employee, whom Ben Sulayem sacked, has declared his intention to run. The American has experience in F1 and spent 15 years as a race steward before his dismissal. The 59-year-old has pledged to reverse some of the current FIA’s policies.
Tim Mayer will run against Mohammed Ben Sulayem for FIA presidency
Tim Mayor announced that he will run against Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the elections this December in Uzbekistan. Ben Sulayem, who won the election in 2021, passed a new statute that gave him the power to veto any candidate running against him.
Mayer has claimed that he wants to run to offer an alternative to Ben Sulayem’s leadership, despite the veto power. This has made it hard to challenge Ben Sulayem, but Mayer is determined to run to reverse some of the current policies.
He said: “If you look over the last four general assemblies, there have been statute changes that have been done that they’ve said, ‘Oh, this is a modernisation. This is democratisation. This is for the integrity of the FIA.’ And when you look at them holistically over the last four general assemblies, what you will see is that this has been the biggest power grab in the history of the FIA. And it’s all about centralisation of power into one office.”
🚀| A new horse in the race for FIA Presidency later this year!
Tim Mayer announced he is running against Mohammed Ben Sulayem.#F1 #FIA #BritishGP https://t.co/YkHF8hoSYj
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 3, 2025
“It’s definitely a matter of reversing many of the policies that have basically disenfranchised the member clubs and have disenfranchised the World Councils and have disenfranchised the senior leadership.”
“We need to work as a team. No one person can manage a worldwide organisation. It’s absolutely impossible. So we need good management. We need professional management that we will recruit back to the FIA. We would need good political leaders, and we need debate.”
Mayer had worked as an F1 steward for 15 years until he represented the Circuit of the Americas in a ‘right to review’ hearing after the track had been fined for an invasion following the race. In the fallout, he was sacked by Ben Sulayem. However, Mayer claims that his running for the presidency is not out of revenge.
FIA President went against his manifesto, claims Mayer
Tim Mayer said he was a fan of Mohammed Ben Suyalem’s manifesto four years ago. However, the American says the former rally driver had gone against his word. Mayer cites the lack of transparency as one of the main issues.
He said: “Four years ago, Mohammed came up with some very good ideas. His manifesto was bought into by all the clubs and he talked about empowerment, transparency and reform which are all values I completely believe in.
🚨 | Tim Mayer speaks out for the first time since his sacking on the controversial swearing ban that was implemented by the FIA president:
“His view that the drivers need to be penalised for swearing – that is his view and what has happened since reflects that,” Mayer says.… pic.twitter.com/IZRaPpgrp9
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) November 28, 2024
“However, we’ve never had less transparency that we have now and reform has meant a concentration of power in one office which goes against the meaning of the word.”
Mayer has pledged to bring transparency and integrity back to the FIA. However, the American needs backing and the support of motorsport clubs. If he does, he can make this election into a contest.
