Published list of eligible candidates for the World Motor Sport Council suggests that Mohammed ben Sulayem's re-election as FIA president is almost a formality.

The main opposition to the Emirati looked to be former FIA steward Tim Mayer, but since then two other hopefuls have thrown their hats into the ring, Laura Villars and Virginie Philippot.

However, following the publication of the list of eligible candidates for the World Motor Sport Council it would appear the result of the election, due to take place in December, is already effectively decided.

The election regulations mandate that potential candidates for the presidency must nominate a team of seven potential vice-presidents for sport in order to progress to a vote. Two of these must come from Europe with one each from South America, North America, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East/North Africa.

Of the 29 eligible candidates named on the list there is only one representing South America, Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of the former F1 boss, and a known ally of Ben Sulayem.

The deadline for submitting candidates for the WMSC list was 29 September, with the fact that there was only one candidate from South America put down to either the failure of member clubs putting anybody forward or prospective candidates failing to secure the approval of the nominations committee.

"With regard to the candidatures for the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), FIA Members and interested candidates had more than three months (from 13 June until 19 September) to submit applications for the WMSC if they so wish," said a spokesperson. "They had access to the relevant information and documents, which were easily accessible on the FIA's website, in order to submit an application.

"In addition, the FIA Administration remained at the disposal of the FIA Members and interested candidates for the WMSC to provide them with clarifications in order to complete their applications on time."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Wokingchap, 14/10/2025 11:33

"@Superbird70...... "NEED FOR GREED"
...Haaaaaa. love that. "

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2. Posted by Superbird70, 13/10/2025 18:32

"@kenji- We can only hope someone takes this concept and runs with it in a new series.

Liberty and the current F1 management team would never touch this car because no wings means less space for advertisers. Up next for Apple/F1 I see a new series based on the current team/circuit expansion, "The need for Greed, an F1 story.". "

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3. Posted by kenji, 13/10/2025 1:53

"@Superbird70 Coco Chanel was spot on when she said 'simplicity is elegance'. Blackbird design embodies that quote. Having read through the site and deleted all the 'emotive' nonsense the concept is extremely alluring but needs a thought defining shift in pre established concepts. If the physics/maths stack up then hopefully we'll see some movement but I wouldn't hold my breath until it actually happens. By comparison the current crop are pure ugly with hardly a surface that not an altered shape. It's time to rattle the establishment cage a little and see what happens. "

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4. Posted by Superbird70, 12/10/2025 18:56

"@kenji- no more flexy wing measurements, black flags for damaged wings, all that measurement bs."

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5. Posted by kenji, 12/10/2025 1:57

"@Superbird70...Looked at this concept last week and liked what little I saw. Looking forward to the next step...if it actually gets there that is! Wingless looks cool....."

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6. Posted by Superbird70, 11/10/2025 14:54

"New series and new car-Blackbird 66 Mk. 1 Race Car Concept
Very interesting- take a look"

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7. Posted by Laps, 10/10/2025 11:37

"Looks like we have MBS for life. Or is defenestration an option?"

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8. Posted by Wokingchap, 10/10/2025 10:16

"Absolutely sucks.
I can't wait for the new series to start."

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9. Posted by Kemawi, 10/10/2025 9:22

"They let a bloody fox into the hen house!"

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10. Posted by Max Noble, 10/10/2025 8:33

"So beautiful; to watch this perfect machine of fairness and democracy roll forward with full transparency. This is the sort of engineered perfection we have come to expect from the FIA. Words fail me to express the awesomeness of it all… Now we just need the FIA voting committee to confirm that from the 155 voting members MBS secured 301 votes and we are all done for this round…
"

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11. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 10/10/2025 7:51

"Wow, so, without a nominated vice president in South America, their list of supporters will not be accepted and, therefore, they will not be placed on the ballot for voting? The fact that there is only one f'n person who represents the region of SA and MBS has them on his side absolutely stinks. It's like playing poker with less cards than the house, how is that bloody fair?
Also, the FIA Administration "being at their disposal"... right, uh-huh, I wonder how much "help" they actually were considering not a single bloody person managed to qualify for eligibility for South America representation status. So, yeah, this mandate that each candidate must nominate a vice president from each region totally wasn't manipulated by Dracula and his minions. The FIA and WMSC are a complete sewer of an organization. What a farce."

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Ben Sulayem's re-election almost guaranteed

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