Could Carlos Sainz Snr be the next FIA president? He has been named as a potential challenger to Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the role. 

And that comes courtesy of Sky Sports News, with Sainz Snr reportedly enjoying ‘widespread support’ among the bosses of various FIA-sanctioned series, as the elections loom.

Carlos Sainz Snr to replace Mohammed Ben Sulayem as FIA president?

Ben Sulayem was elected as FIA president late in 2021 – succeeding former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt in the role – and looks set to run to extend his tenure, with the election due to take place on December 12, as part of the next FIA general assembly in Uzbekistan.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s first term as FIA president has been eventful, during which various senior personnel have departed their roles, including Robert Reid, who walked away from the FIA deputy president for sport position in April, citing “a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within motorsport’s global governing body”.

“When I took on this role, it was to serve the FIA’s members, not to serve power,” he added in a statement.

“Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold.

“Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to present.”

Meanwhile, in 2023, the FIA moved to issue a statement after archived, controversial comments on women were dug up from Ben Sulayem’s old website.

Last year, a whistleblower alleged Ben Sulayem to have told officials to find a way not to approve the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, which went on to host the 2024 debut of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, while the whistleblower also accused Ben Sulayem of influencing the overturning of a penalty for Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the FIA later dismissing the accusations.

A rumoured value of £16.2bn for Formula 1 being called “inflated” by Ben Sulayem did not sit well with commercial rights holder Liberty Media, and most recently, Ben Sulayem’s imposing of fines and potential bans relating to swearing caused a stir.

Lasto month, in an Instagram post, Ben Sulayem teased changes to the measures “following constructive feedback from drivers across our seven FIA World Championships”.

Reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen was the first F1 driver to be punished ahead of a new appendix being added to the FIA’s International Sporting Code over the winter relating to the penalties at the disposal of the stewards. Verstappen was ordered to carry out what was effectively community service after swearing in a press conference at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

The FIA meanwhile recently reached a two-tier agreement with the World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers, after a swearing fine of €10,000 with a further €20,000 suspended for 12 months which was issued to Adrien Fourmaux, led to a mass driver protest as they snubbed stage-end interviews in Kenya, having not received the communication requested from Ben Sulayem.

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Seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has called for “a power seat at the table” for drivers regarding the governance of F1, and amid the report that Carlos Sainz Snr is considering a push to become FIA president, it quickly comes to mind that his son Carlos Sainz Jnr is current racing in Formula 1 with Williams.

However, Sky Sports News report that no conflict of interest concerns are anticipated, with the F1 teams expecting that Sainz Snr could delegate any relevant topics.

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