American Tim Mayer and Swiss Laura Villars had both declared an intention to stand in the election but were unable to put together the required slate of potential vice-presidents.
FIA election rules dictate that every candidate must name one person from all the FIA global regions. But there was only one South American on the official list, and Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone – wife of former F1 boss Bernie – was already on Ben Sulayem’s team.
The election is facing an ongoing legal challenge in France brought by Villars. A first hearing into the merits of the action is scheduled to be heard on 16 February.
The FIA, in conjunction with commercial rights holder F1, is also facing a legal action from former F1 driver Felipe Massa, who is seeking damages over the ‘crashgate’ scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Ben Sulayem’s first term in office was marked by a series of controversies regarding governance, and a number of departures of senior figures after clashes with the president.
Opponents accused him of making changes that undermined the independence of various governance structures within the FIA.
A statement by the FIA following Ben Sulayem’s election said his first term had marked “a wide-ranging transformation, improving governance, operations and restoring the financial health of the federation”.
It also referred to “wider institutional reform reform over the last four years, with strengthened budgetary discipline, enhanced external audit processes and modernised governance structures, resulting in greater transparency, accountability and professional standards across the organisation”.
Ben Sulayem said in a statement: “This year has marked a pivotal moment for the FIA. In 2025, we completed an historic financial turnaround, we secured a stronger future of all FIA World Championships, and we continued to deliver safer, more sustainable, and more affordable mobility worldwide.”
He has also been named as the chairman of the FIA Foundation, which is an independent UK-registered charity.
An FIA spokesperson said they were unable to comment on the Foundation.
