If you haven’t been following politics over the past decade, authoritarianism is in vogue. Seeing the trend, racing jumped on the bandwagon. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, motorsport’s global governing body, voted on Thursday to end its three-term limit on the organization’s president. While the age limit of 70 is still in place, President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is planning to abolish it as well.
The decision to allow Ben Sulayem to potentially serve as FIA President for life was approved by an absurdly overwhelming majority at the FIA General Assembly in Macau. According to the BBC, over 90% of the FIA’s 245 member clubs voted in favor of the motion. The governing body claimed the decision was made to bring the rules for its highest office in line with other key FIA positions with recently abolished term limits, like the chairs for its anti-doping and F1 cost-cap committees. Personally, I would just reinstate term limits if consistency were the goal. In a statement after the decision, the 64-year-old said:
“The decisions approved by our members here today reflect the continued progress we are making together as a federation.”
“Through stronger governance, financial discipline and a clear long-term vision, we are building an FIA that is better equipped to support our members, strengthen our championships, and deliver for motorsport and mobility worldwide.”
The FIA seemingly can’t come up with a reasonable explanation for its term limit abolition. An organization spokesperson made a comparison to Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League since 2006. The FIA is the furthest thing from the NFL structurally. First, Goodell is an employee of the league. If a majority of the league’s 32 owners want Goodell out, he’s fired. Goodell’s tenure has been so lengthy because he negotiated successive media rights deals that currently generate $11 billion annually. He would be on the hot seat if that number ever dips.
Ben Sulayem’s power stems from the FIA’s long-running feud with F1
Ben Sulayem will never see the same success as Goodell, no matter how long he’s in charge. The FIA doesn’t control the commercial rights to Formula 1. When the organization agreed to a 100-year lease with Bernie Ecclestone in 2001, it effectively handed over its potential cash cow in perpetuity for just a total sum of $360 million. It’s a paltry sum compared to the $3.9 billion in annual revenue generated by F1 today under Liberty Media ownership.
As F1 sees unprecedented commercial success, the FIA is still contractually obligated to officiate the world championship under the same terms. Since becoming FIA President in December 2021, Ben Sulayem has argued that the FIA doesn’t receive its fair share from the rights holder. The costs of officiating F1 have ballooned over the past 25 years, as the championship has expanded from 17 to 24 rounds and now includes financial regulations. However, it isn’t all common sense governance. He attempted to impose a ban on swearing across the entire sport and blocked any opposition in the 2025 election for his second term.
The animosity between F1 and the FIA arguably fueled Ben Sulayem’s popularity within the governing body. In opposition to Liberty Media, he championed Cadillac’s bid to join F1 because an additional team meant more revenue for the FIA through entry and Super License fees. A whistleblower also accused him of attempting to cancel the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix by fraudulently withholding circuit certification. He ultimately got another significant victory as Liberty agreed to increase its contribution to the FIA in 2025. With this mandate, Ben Sulayem wants to dictate the future of Formula 1.
