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Rally legend Carlos Sainz has decided not to run for the presidency of motorsport’s governing body the FIA in December’s election.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 63-year-old, who said in May he was considering the idea, explained that “the present circumstances are not ideal to set the grounds for my candidacy”.<\/p>\n
Sainz said in a statement on social media, external<\/span><\/a> that he believed the FIA “still needs important changes, which I remain genuinely hopeful will be tackled in the upcoming years”.<\/p>\n He added that a campaign would interfere with his preparations for next year’s Dakar Rally.<\/p>\n Sainz won the Dakar for the fourth time in 2024 and will compete in the desert event in Saudi Arabia next January with Ford.<\/p>\n His son – also named Carlos Sainz – drives for Williams in Formula 1.<\/p>\n Sainz Snr said: “I have realised that properly running for president would notably compromise my preparation for the Dakar and I do not wish to weaken my commitment to Ford and my team.<\/p>\n “These concerns have therefore inclined me to be realistic and desist from my FIA endeavour for now.”<\/p>\n The only declared candidate for the election is the current president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, whose time in office has been beset by controversies.<\/p>\n These involve changes to the FIA statutes that appear to extend his control<\/a>, along with a series of sackings of senior figures<\/a> within the FIA, and for his involvement in a series of situations that have angered many in Formula 1, from commercial rights holder Liberty Media<\/a> to the drivers<\/a>.<\/p>\n The FIA is currently the subject of a lawsuit from Susie Wolff,<\/a> the head of the F1 Academy for aspiring female drivers and wife of Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n