Mohammed Ben Sulayem elected new FIA president
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected the new president of the FIA, taking over from the outgoing Jean Todt after 12 years.
Todt completed his third and final term as FIA president in 2021, but will now hand over the reins of motorsport's world governing body to Sulayem, 60, following a vote on Friday at the FIA General Assembly.
Sulayem defeated Graham Stoker, who served as the FIA's deputy president for sport under Todt, with 61.6% of the vote.
Sulayem enjoyed a lengthy career as a rally driver, winning the FIA Middle East Rally Championship on 14 occasions, before moving into governance. He was the first Arab to be elected to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, and previously served as vice-president for sport with the FIA.
He also oversaw the running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and its addition to the Formula 1 calendar in 2009.
His election marks a break with the past, becoming the first non-European to serve as president of the FIA, and comes after support was given to his 'FIA for Members' campaign by Motorsport UK, the governing body of British motorsport.
ulayem enjoyed a lengthy career as a rally driver, winning the FIA Middle East Rally Championship on 14 occasions, before moving into governance. He was the first Arab to be elected to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, and previously served as vice-president for sport with the FIA.
"I am truly honoured to be elected President of the FIA," ben Sulayem wrote on Twitter. "Thank you all so much. I am humbled by the trust you've placed in me and the team and we pledge to govern in the interests of all members.
"I'd also like to pay tribute to Jean Todt for his leadership over the past 12 years, and commend Graham Stoker on his campaign. We look forward to working with all who seek the betterment of this Federation we all love."
"A chapter has come to an end," said outgoing president Todt.
"We can be collectively satisfied of our achievements in motor sport and safe and sustainable mobility over the past 12 years. I would like to warmly thank my team, our administration and all our Member Clubs for their unwavering commitment, enthusiasm and resilience.
"I congratulate Mohammed on his election as FIA President and wish him, his team, and the Federation the best of success for the years to come."
Speaking to Motorsport.com earlier this year as part of the #ThinkingForward series, Sulayem felt there was a need to grow motorsport and make it more affordable around the world, as well as expanding regional championships and helping more young drivers get into racing.
"I do intend to create better and affordable pathways for young drivers," Ben Sulayem said in July. "That's the change. You cannot just repeat what the previous president did, it won't work. The challenges are different.
"As I said, the landscape is changing but you will not divert me from the main thing: to create better and affordable pathways for young people."
Related video
Agag on how Todt helped secure motorsport's future
How to follow the fourth round of the Le Mans Virtual Series by Motorsport Games, kicking off this weekend on December 18
Why Vasseur isn't wielding the axe on Ferrari's F1 strategy team
As Ferrari reflected on the lost opportunities of the 2022 Formula 1 season, it did not take a genius to understand that strategy had been one of its core weaknesses.
Aitken confirms split with Williams F1 to focus on sportscars
Jack Aitken has confirmed that he and the Williams Formula 1 team have parted ways ahead of the 2023 season as he pursues a career in sportscar racing.
Kubica out of F1 as Orlen moves to AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo lands new sponsor
Former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team title sponsor Orlen has switched to AlphaTauri in a move that could spell the end of Robert Kubica’s career in grand prix racing.
Vasseur "convinced" Ferrari has everything it needs to win F1 title
New Ferrari Formula 1 boss Fred Vasseur is “convinced” the team has everything it needs to win the championship, and that targeting anything less would be a “lack of ambition.”
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
Why romanticism isn't the key factor in Lola’s racing return
The iconic Lola name is being relaunched after it was taken over by new ownership. Part of that reboot is a planned return to racing, though the exact details of this are still to be finalised - though its new owner does have a desire to bring the brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours. But romanticism doesn't appear to be the driving force behind this renewed project...
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Motorsport.com has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates.
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
Why Todt’s FIA successor could be cut from the same cloth
Jean Todt has signalled that he will not stand for re-election as FIA president. Mark Gallagher analyses the strong credentials of one potential successor…
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be.
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.