Motor racing-American Mayer recognises bid for FIA presidency is over

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By Alan Baldwin

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) -American Tim Mayer ended his bid to stand for president of motorsport’s world governing body on Friday, saying FIA statutes prevented anyone from challenging incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

The move was expected after a list published this month left rivals to the Emirati unable to muster the support needed to stand.

“The election for the president of the FIA is over, but our campaign is not,” former F1 steward Mayer told reporters at an airport hotel ahead of this weekend’s U.S. Formula One Grand Prix in Austin.

“This time there will be no election. There will be no debate between ideas, no comparison of vision, no examination of leadership. There will only be one candidate, the incumbent, and that’s not democracy. That’s the illusion of democracy.”

The election had been scheduled for December 12 at the FIA General Assembly in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Mayer said the process was flawed, with the statutes dictating that no candidacy can go forward unless accompanied by a list of vice-presidents from every global region.

Those vice-presidential candidates must be drawn from a list of 29 people eligible for the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and South America has only one named person, Brazil’s Fabiana Ecclestone, who is part of Ben Sulayem’s team.

Candidates for the presidency must submit their complete lists by October 24 and cannot include a candidate already entered on another presidential list.

“In South America only one person stood for the World Motorsport Council. In Africa only two. All three are directly associated with the incumbent. The result is simple,” said Mayer, the son of former McLaren boss Teddy Mayer.

“No one but the incumbent can run under the FIA system.”

The American pointed out that more than 40 WMSC candidates were available last time around, with Ben Sulayem elected in 2021 to replace Frenchman Jean Todt.

“What changed? Did member clubs suddenly lose interest in shaping the sport? Or were they persuaded, pressured, or promised something not to stand?

“I can’t say for sure but when only three out of 12 eligible clubs across South America and Africa put themselves forward, independent of whether they support me or not, it’s clear this is no longer a democratic process.”

Approached by Reuters for a response, the FIA said the presidential list requirements applied to previous elections and spoke of “a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage.

“As to be expected, preparing a candidature for a Presidential List or the World Councils requires certain steps to be taken. Prospective candidates have had since the publication of the detailed information on 13 June to prepare their applications,” it added.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris and Pritha Sarkar)