An Election Without Rivals, and One Voice Demanding Transparency: Laura Villars and the FIA’s New Challenge
With just weeks to go before the FIA presidential election, the organization finds itself caught in fresh controversy, one that could cast doubt on whether the vote will even take place.
A one-horse race with too many questions
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is heading toward a presidential election overshadowed by controversy. As the date approaches, only one candidate remains officially in the running, a scenario that has raised serious questions about the transparency and fairness of the process.
Among those questioning the system is Laura Villars, a 28 year old Swiss-French racing driver who announced her candidacy earlier this year. Unable to formalize her entry, Villars has now taken legal action against the FIA, claiming that its electoral system “effectively blocks any genuine competition.”
How FIA elections work
Every four years, during the organization’s General Assembly, more than 140 national clubs and federations vote to elect the FIA President and their full leadership team.
Each candidate must submit a complete governing slate that includes:
one Vice President for Sport,
one Vice President for Mobility, and
seven Regional Vice Presidents for Sport: representing Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa).
The goal is to guarantee fair global representation. In practice, though, the structure makes it extremely difficult for outsiders to enter the race: a single missing name from any region automatically invalidates the entire list.
From four contenders to just one
Current FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who was first elected in 2021, is seeking a second term and is, so far, the only eligible candidate.
At the beginning of the year, four people had expressed interest in running, including Villars and American Tim Mayer. But Mayer withdrew in mid October, saying it was “impossible to assemble an alternative slate under the current rules.”
The biggest bottleneck lies in South America: only one person, Brazilian delegate Fabiana Ecclestone, qualifies for the role of Regional Vice President for Sport, and she’s already part of Ben Sulayem’s team. Since the regulations forbid overlapping names between slates, no other contender has been able to present a valid, complete ticket.
Laura Villars takes it to court
After failing to meet the eligibility criteria, Villars decided to challenge the system itself. On October 29, 2025, she filed a lawsuit before the Paris Judicial Court seeking to suspend the election process.
Her argument is that the FIA’s electoral framework violates its own principles of democracy and transparency, values enshrined in the federation’s statutes, which commit it to “the highest standards of governance.”
Villars isn’t asking to cancel the vote, but to delay it until those rules can be reviewed. As she told local media:
“I’m not acting against the FIA. I’m acting to protect it. Democracy isn’t a threat to the FIA; it’s its foundation.”
(planet f1.com)
The French court has agreed to hear the case under an expedited procedure, with a first hearing scheduled for November 10. Should Villars succeed, the FIA could be forced to temporarily halt the election.
What’s at stake
Beyond the immediate outcome, the case opens a wider debate on internal democracy within international sports federations.
If the court finds that the current regulations are anti competitive, the FIA may be compelled to reform its electoral system and allow broader participation in future cycles.
If, however, the challenge is dismissed, Ben Sulayem will be re elected unopposed on December 12, a result that would be entirely legal, but perhaps harder than ever to defend in the court of public opinion.