What's the position of President of the FIA and what do they do?

The FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been beneath intense scrutiny within the latter elements of 2024 as a result of an open letter from the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation, which is the commerce union for Formulation 1 drivers.

Ben Sulayem has additionally appeared within the press on varied different events, claiming that the British media “convicted me” or that the FIA doesn’t get the credit score it deserves.

The 63-year-old Emirati has been within the job since 2021 having succeeded Jean Todt who held the place for 12 years – so right here is all to know in regards to the position of FIA president.

What does the President of the FIA do?

The FIA president is the exterior face of motor racing’s governing physique, who leads the organisation and oversees any modifications it makes to the championships beneath its umbrella.

To turn into the FIA president, one should run for an election which is held each 4 years the place FIA Member Golf equipment are eligible to vote. These golf equipment span throughout six continents, together with the likes of the Royal Car Membership in London, the Australian Car Affiliation in Canberra or the Canadian Car Affiliation in Ottawa who all vote relying on which manifesto it likes essentially the most.

An FIA president is proscribed to 3 phrases which means they will serve for a most of 12 years, subsequently Ben Sulayem is working for election once more in 2025 and may accomplish that in 2029 as properly.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA, congratulates Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing, third place, in Parc Ferme

Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs

As soon as elected, the president is answerable for working the FIA and has a giant say on no matter modifications are made, for instance to the F1 race director.

Wittich was changed by the Formulation 2 race director Rui Marques at an analogous time it was introduced the FIA had launched a brand new Officers Division to begin a manufacturing line of skilled race officers – headed by Ben Sulayem.

So the president is answerable for varied initiatives run by the FIA to assist develop motor racing. Extra of those initiatives embrace aiming to be Web Zero by 2030, introducing sustainable fuels to F1 for 2026 and even partnering with Cranfield College to award the Motorsport Engineering Scholarship to any individual with aspirations of a profession inside the business. The initiatives are subsequently at various ranges of the motorsport pyramid.

The president should additionally undertake huge public work. On an F1 weekend, for instance, Ben Sulayem is recurrently in parc ferme after monitor periods and on the rostrum presenting the winner’s medal to the driving force on the highest step or strolling down the pre-race grid networking with contacts.

It is usually Ben Sulayem’s job to host the FIA Prize Giving ceremony, which on the finish of every 12 months honours all of the newly topped champions of the completely different FIA sequence, the place the president delivers a speech and takes pictures with these receiving trophies.

Is the FIA President employed by F1?

F1 doesn’t make use of the FIA president, as a result of the championship is definitely sanctioned by the organisation which means it has no say on who the president is or what they do.

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

Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photographs

What different sequence does the FIA President cowl?

The FIA president is concerned in any motorsport sequence that’s regulated by the organisation, from F1 all the way in which right down to karting.

There are at the moment 41 sequence which might be run by the FIA, seven of that are thought-about to be world championships: F1, Formulation E, World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship, World Rallycross Championship, World Rally-Raid Championship and the World Karting Championship.

So the FIA president might have an involvement in any a type of sequence and should finally have the ultimate say on choices made relating to that respective championship.

How concerned with F1 does the FIA President often get?

Contemplating F1 is the most important championship beneath the FIA umbrella, the president has usually been seen at grands prix all through the years with a lot of the election manifestos in regards to the sequence.

Todt, for instance, labored at Ferrari for 15 years and through his reign as president, he was instrumental in bringing hybrid engines to the sequence in 2014 and performed a task in F1’s We Race As One initiative which inspired better range and condemned racism.

However Todt by no means publicly voiced his opinions as a lot as Ben Sulayem, which is one thing former Haas F1 boss Gunther Steiner thinks the president wants to alter.

“He is truly a superb character,” Steiner advised Sky Sports activities F1, “however as a president, I believe typically he will get concerned an excessive amount of into the game and he would not do himself any favours with that.

“You need to have individuals who run the organisation as a result of it is a massive job being a president of a federation just like the FIA and for those who get entangled within the day-to-day working, I do not assume there’s the time there to do it on the degree it must be finished.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA, congratulates George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, on the podium

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA, congratulates George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Workforce, third place, on the rostrum

Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

“He simply, in my view, ought to have good folks round him doing the job for him and he at all times will get concerned in it and typically he is critiqued.

“In these positions, it’s essential get used to being critiqued, you can’t at all times be simply [about] how good you might be.

“If you happen to get reward you additionally get criticism and if you’re a public determine that’s a part of it. However it’s essential reside with that, you can’t be all people’s pal. That’s simply not going to occur – not even [for] me!”

“Now we have to distinguish between our sport – motorsport – and rap music,” Ben Sulayem advised Autosport.

“We’re not rappers, you realize. They are saying the F-word what number of occasions per minute? We’re not on that. That is them and we’re [us].”

“Now we have to watch out with our conduct,” he added. “We must be accountable folks.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, Andrea Casiraghi

Picture by: Erik Junius

“And now with the know-how, every little thing goes reside and every little thing goes to be recorded. On the finish of the day, we have now to review that to see: can we minimise what’s being stated publicly?

“As a result of think about you might be sitting together with your kids and watching the race after which somebody is saying all of this soiled language.

“I imply, what would your kids or grandchildren say? What would you educate them if that’s your sport?”

It prompted an indignant response from the drivers ultimately resulting in the open letter from the GPDA, which not solely condemned Ben Sulayem’s actions but additionally requested for better readability on how fines are allotted and the place the funds are spent.

So, the FIA president has naturally at all times had a giant involvement in F1, but there are present debates over how a lot they need to publicly provide their opinions on what’s occurring inside the sequence.

How a lot does the President of the FIA receives a commission?

The FIA president doesn’t have a wage as a result of the governing physique is a non-profit organisation, which generates income by means of entry charges and tremendous licence charges from the groups that compete inside its championships.

Previous FIA Presidents

President

Years in place

Mohammed Ben Sulayem

2021 – current

Jean Todt

2009 – 2021

Max Mosley

1993 – 2009

Jean-Marie Balestre

1985 – 1993

Paul Alfons Furst Von Metternich-Winneburg