Mohammed Ben Sulayem wishes to amend the statutes of the International Automobile Federation to remove the current limit of three maximum terms for the president of the institution.
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According to several reports, the Emirati leader plans to present this proposal on June 26 during the FIA General Assembly held in Macau.
And based on the support he currently has within the federation, the project has a strong chance of being adopted.
Another ten years?
Currently, a presidential term at the FIA lasts four years, with a limit set at three maximum terms, totaling twelve years. But Ben Sulayem now wishes to completely remove this restriction and allow unlimited re-election until the maximum allowed age of 70 years.
Re-elected at the end of 2025 after succeeding Jean Todt in 2021, Ben Sulayem was already eligible for a third term under the current rules.
In the event of a third re-election, he would be 69 years old — just before the limit set by the current statutes, which require a candidate to be under 70 years old at the time of election to serve a full term. According to several sources, Ben Sulayem would have very strong support, especially among the smaller national federations members of the FIA, making the adoption of the reform highly likely.
Opposition dismissed
During the 2025 election, several figures had tried to challenge his presidency, notably Carlos Sainz Sr. as well as former sporting commissioner Tim Mayer. Their stated goal was notably to make the FIA more democratic and transparent in its operations. But support for Ben Sulayem proved overwhelmingly majority, allowing him to obtain a new term until 2030.
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At the time, the Emirati had already hinted that he considered three years insufficient to transform an organization as complex as the FIA: “ Three years in such a complex federation is not enough. Do I need more time? Yes. Has it been easy? Never. Has it been pleasant? Sometimes.”
Ben Sulayem also sparked several controversies during his first term. He regularly opposed Liberty Media, while causing tensions with several drivers from Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship by adopting a very strict line against swearing, resulting in particularly severe fines.
His term was also marked by many departures of senior FIA officials, with some media even mentioning a real internal exodus within the organization. Several criticisms also targeted the statutory reforms already introduced under his presidency, accused of limiting the powers of audit and ethics committees.
MBS or nothing!
Alongside the candidacies of Sainz and Mayer, Laura Villars had also tried to enter the race for the presidency. But the young woman believes that the current rules made it practically impossible to meet all the conditions necessary for a valid candidacy. She has since initiated legal action against the FIA.
The main point of contention concerns the obligation for each candidate to designate vice-presidents from each continent from a list approved by the FIA. However, for South America, only one personality appeared on this list: Fabiana Ecclestone, who had already officially supported Ben Sulayem, effectively making de facto MBS the sole candidate.
This new reform could therefore further strengthen the power of the current president within the FIA, while reigniting the debate on democratic balance and governance of the institution that governs world motorsport.
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