A storm is brewing inside the FIA, and this time it’s not over track limits or flexi-wings, but democracy itself. Laura Villars, one of the few who dared to challenge the institution’s iron grip, has decided that enough is enough. Her lawsuit against the FIA, filed in Paris, is set to test whether motorsport’s governing body still remembers what the “A” in its name stands for, Association, not Autocracy.
The first hearing will take place on November 10, setting the stage for a showdown that could make even the stewards’ room at Monza look orderly. The FIA presidential election is scheduled for December 12, though calling it an “election” might be generous. Four people initially expressed their intent to run for the top job. Yet, as of today, only one man remains: the incumbent, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The rest have been quietly removed from the equation, not by the will of voters, but by a conveniently restrictive rulebook.
According to FIA regulations, each presidential candidate must present a team of seven vice presidents, covering all six of the FIA’s world regions. Sounds sensible in theory, until one notices that only Fabiana Ecclestone is eligible to represent South America, and she’s already on Ben Sulayem’s team. The rulebook effectively slams the door shut on anyone hoping to form a complete ticket. Democracy, it seems, is taking a gap year.
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Disillusioned rivals
Tim Mayer, once a fellow contender, withdrew two weeks ago, lamenting that he had discovered an “illusion of democracy.” Carlos Sainz Sr. had already bowed out earlier, perhaps sensing the same futility. That left Laura Villars, a Swiss athlete and racing driver with the audacity to think an outsider might have a chance, as the last challenger.
Her response was not to walk away, but to fight.
Villars filed what is known as a referral procedure, an expedited legal mechanism designed to force a quick ruling. She’s asking the court to delay the election until the democratic concerns are resolved. After all, what’s the point of an election if the ballot box only contains one name?
The voice of reason, or rebellion
“I have twice tried to have a constructive dialogue with the FIA on key issues such as internal democracy and transparency of the election rules,” Villars said in a statement.
“The answers I received did not do justice to the importance of these issues. I am not acting against the FIA, I am acting to protect it. Democracy is not a threat to the FIA, it is its strength.”
It’s the kind of statement that makes you wonder if she’s too idealistic for motorsport politics. Still, her tone is calm and measured. Villars is not trying to burn down Place de la Concorde; she’s just asking the FIA to open the windows and let in some fresh air. The court has called both sides to a mediation session before the November 10 hearing, offering a brief hope that reason might prevail before the lawyers do.
“I will approach this hearing with the same attitude I have maintained from the beginning, calm, open, and determined,” she added.
“I hope that this will finally lead to an honest dialogue, in the interest of a more modern, fairer, and member-oriented FIA.”
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Mayer’s moral support
Her stance has earned applause from Tim Mayer’s FIA Forward team, which has also filed ethical complaints about the electoral process.
Mayer’s group claims they have yet to receive even an acknowledgment from the FIA, a silence they describe as typical of the governing body’s approach to inconvenient questions.
“We welcome her move as an important contribution to the necessary reforms for more democracy and transparency,” their statement read.
“We will support her with our knowledge and experience, in the interest of an open election for the FIA’s member clubs.”
It’s not exactly a rebellion, but it does sound like the beginnings of a coalition, the FIA’s own little version of a democratic resistance movement. If the current administration’s confidence in its own procedures is unshakeable, it’s probably because those procedures have been designed not to shake.
The curious case of Laura Villars
Still, some observers are skeptical of Villars’ motives. When she first appeared on the scene, many in the paddock dismissed her as a social media stunt.
A 28-year-old Swiss racing driver and entrepreneur, Villars was virtually unknown in FIA circles before announcing her candidacy. Her Instagram feed, once heavy on glamour and light on governance, drew accusations that she was more influencer than insider.
But her tone has changed. Since launching her campaign, she’s published a detailed five-point agenda and toned down her online presence. Gone are the lifestyle photos; in their place are statements about transparency, reform, and sustainability.
Her platform includes an audit committee to oversee FIA finances, a “Club Support Fund” to help smaller national bodies, and a “Women in Motorsport Fund.”
She also supports continuing Jean Todt’s safer roads initiative and achieving carbon neutrality for the FIA by 2030.
It’s a surprisingly thorough platform from someone dismissed as unserious. Villars insists she represents a “new generation” and wants to “restore trust, increase transparency and ensure that the FIA truly serves its members.” Whether she’s a genuine reformer or a savvy self-promoter, she’s now forced the world to pay attention. Even the New York Times has taken notice, giving her a platform few could have imagined a year ago.
An inconvenient lawsuit
The timing of Villars’ lawsuit could not be worse for Ben Sulayem, who was widely expected to coast into a second term. Her legal challenge has thrown a wrench into the smooth, predetermined choreography of FIA politics. If the court sides with her, the December 12 election could be delayed, creating the very uncertainty the FIA leadership has worked so hard to avoid.
It’s also a PR headache. The governing body, already under fire in recent years for internal conflicts and opaque decision-making, now faces accusations of undermining its own constitution. What was meant to be a ceremonial re-coronation risks turning into a referendum on the FIA’s credibility.
The irony, of course, is that Villars may not even want to win, at least not this time. What she may want instead is recognition that the current system is flawed, that rules designed for fairness can be twisted into barriers, and that the FIA’s cherished tradition of self-regulation may need a democratic tune-up.
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The illusion of choice
In the end, whether or not Villars’ candidacy was ever realistic, her challenge exposes something far more important: a system that looks democratic on paper but behaves like a closed club. For an organisation that governs everything from grassroots karting to Formula 1, that’s an uncomfortable truth.
The FIA loves to celebrate its global diversity, six regions, dozens of nations, thousands of members, yet it’s governed by a structure that effectively ensures continuity above all else. Continuity is useful for stability, but less so for accountability.
Villars may lose her case in court, but she’s already won something harder to quantify: attention. By daring to question the system, she’s highlighted its weaknesses, and perhaps inspired others to demand better. Even if she’s accused of chasing headlines, her lawsuit has sparked a necessary debate.
MORE F1 NEWS – FIA race control & stewards heavily criticised for Mexican GP
Formula One’s rule book during its inaugural season in 1950 could literally be written on the back of a fag packet. Yet over seventy five years of the sport, there are tomes written each season to cover technical, sporting and now driving regulations issued by the FIA.
The secret “driver guidelines” document issued to the stewards each season came to light last year after a number of incidents involving Max Verstappen in both Austin and Mexico City.
Now made public it is clear the FIA are attempting to codify the rules of racing and in many instances have done a decent job. This writer once asked Charlie Whiting why track limits was not policed around the entirety of the circuit, he shrugged and stated it would be too expensive to have cameras and people monitoring this issue.
Shocking marshal incident in Mexico
Under the much criticised Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s presidency of the FIA, track limits is now strictly enforced at every corner on every circuit. Yes it resulted in the infamous 1200 incidents reported to the stewards in Austria 2024, but this evolved into a solution of relaying some partial gravel areas which solved the problem at this year’s race in Spielberg.
Yet one area requiring a complete overhaul is the way Formula One polices the racing together with its obsession with ‘absolute’ safety in every single circumstance. Of course safety is vitally important and even more so for those who marshal the circuit to ensure racing can take place.
In Mexico there was a shocking incident, where after skirmishes on lap one, marshals were sent out to collect debris claimed to be on the apex of turn one. Of course the cars were bunched together giving the marshals plenty of time to enter the live circuit and recover the offending material.
The problem was, Liam Lawson pitted for a fresh nose cone and was not at the tail of the racing snake. On leaving the pits and arriving art turn one he was horrified. He screamed over team radio: “Are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I could have… killed them.”…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Sofia Trevena is a Formula 1 writer at TJ13 with an academic background in cultural studies and published research on global sport. Sofia Trevena examines Formula 1 as both a competitive discipline and a cultural phenomenon, combining scholarly perspective with journalistic analysis.
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