Tim Mayer has announced he has withdrawn his FIA presidential bid, confirming there will be no election and hitting out at the ruling body’s “illusion of democracy”.
As reported earlier this month, it was expected incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem would face no challengers after a list the governing body published of eligible World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) members effectively left opponents unable to assemble the required campaign teams.
A former steward, Mayer said on Friday that the result of the process showed “that is not democracy”.
“Quite simply, there is no choice,” Mayer said of his decision to withdraw. “There will be no vote between ideas, no contest of visions, no test of leadership. There will be only one candidate and that’s not democracy – that’s the illusion of democracy.”
The practical obstacle the potential candidates faces was a procedural requirement introduced during Ben Sulayem’s first term.
Unlike previous elections, all presidential candidates must now submit a full slate of seven vice-presidents covering the FIA’s continental balance, drawn from a pool of individuals certified as eligible by the FIA.
This contrasts with earlier cycles, when candidates could run without presenting a complete deputy team.
Because some regions are represented by only a handful of names on the FIA’s published list, prospective challengers have been unable to complete the cross-regional slates needed to qualify.
In South America, for example, Fabiana Ecclestone is the only certified candidate – and she is already aligned with Ben Sulayem’s ticket, making it effectively impossible for a rival to assemble a compliant slate.
On Friday, American Mayer announced he was withdrawning from the election after being unable to meet the requirements for a candidate.
Mayer insisted that while the election was over, his campaign would go on in the search for a fairer system.
“The real campaign continues. For every club that still believes fairness matters; for every sport and mobility club that seeks equal access to information, funding, and opportunity; for every participant who believes the FIA should support them, not compete with them.
“We will continue to speak out for those who cannot and we will not rest until every Member Club feels free to speak for itself.
“Across our extensive travels around the globe, many Member Clubs told me ‘We want to speak, but we can’t’. They fear losing projects, funding, or recognition if they question the current system and that’s why FIA Forward must persist — not for power, but for principle.
“So, while the rules of the election mean that there will be no election, our cause continues. Our campaign is not over, it is just entering a new phase. We will keep driving the FIA forward until democracy, service, and partnership are not just words in a statute, but the living values that define our Federation every day and we can bring into being the changes the FIA so desperately needs.”
