Ben Sulayem alleged to have excluded competitors from the FIA election.

Ben Sulayem alleged to have excluded competitors from the FIA election.

      Controversial new electoral regulations

      Mohammed Ben Sulayem is facing allegations of creating barriers that make it nearly impossible for any challenger to compete against him in the upcoming FIA presidential election this December. Three individuals—American Tim Mayer and Europeans Laura Villars and Virginie Philipott—have expressed their intent to oppose the current president. However, Soy Motor of Spain reports that "it's not that the candidates struggle to win the elections, but rather they can't even enter the race."

      According to the publication, the contentious new electoral rules implemented by Ben Sulayem mandate that any contender must assemble a complete leadership team of ten by October 24, which must include seven sport vice-presidents selected from a pre-approved list of just 28 names.

      Significantly, this list incorporates stringent regional quotas, with some regions fielding only candidates loyal to the sitting president. The report notes, "For instance, from South America, there is only one candidate, Fabiana Ecclestone, who supports Ben Sulayem—therefore, no rival can nominate someone from that region." The same situation applies to Africa, where both qualifying candidates are also in favor of the incumbent.

      Soy Motor concludes: "Game over. Changing the presidency would essentially necessitate a revolution within the central committee."

Ben Sulayem alleged to have excluded competitors from the FIA election.

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"I truly believe Mercedes will be leading the way." Max Verstappen anticipates that Mercedes will have an advantage when the new regulations for Formula 1 come into effect next year. Although Toto Wolff made a strong effort to attract the four-time world champion, Verstappen ultimately decided to remain with Red Bull, despite Christian Horner's departure and the uncertainties surrounding the team's internal power unit project. "Next year will be challenging with our own engine, of course," Verstappen mentioned to Sky Deutschland. "That poses a new risk for Red Bull, but they accepted that risk by entering Formula 1, and they've performed quite well." He did not dismiss the possibility that Mercedes might dominate again, similar to their performance in 2014 when the hybrid rules were introduced. "It’s hard to say," Verstappen continued. "I truly believe Mercedes will be at the front. They are consistently strong and always competitive. They’re a leading company, so I do think they’ll be ahead, especially regarding the engine." Nonetheless, he emphasized that Red Bull is fully committed to the challenge. "We are definitely giving our all. I hope we will be close, but of course, I can’t be certain." In a separate interview with Viaplay during the Singapore GP weekend, Verstappen was asked about Red Bull's sudden performance improvement following Horner’s departure and Laurent Mekies’ arrival. When questioned if anything specific had changed, he smiled and said, "Yes. But nobody needs to know that." When the interviewer expressed regret for probing further, Verstappen replied, "That's fine. It doesn’t matter, because I’m not going to reveal anything. The key thing is that we’re performing better." While he is no longer entirely out of the championship race, Verstappen acknowledges that winning a fifth consecutive drivers’ title is unlikely. "I’m not too worried about it," he admitted. "I already have a lot on my plate that I enjoy. I just show up at the track and do my best. There may be a chance, and I’m trying to make the most of it, but I'm not concerned about it." "I truly believe Mercedes will be leading the way." Max Verstappen anticipates that Mercedes will have an advantage when the new regulations for Formula 1 come into effect next year. Although Toto Wolff made a strong effort to attract the four-time world champion, Verstappen ultimately decided to remain with Red Bull, despite Christian Horner's departure and the uncertainties surrounding the team's internal power unit project. "Next year will be challenging with our own engine, of course," Verstappen mentioned to Sky Deutschland. "That poses a new risk for Red Bull, but they accepted that risk by entering Formula 1, and they've performed quite well." He did not dismiss the possibility that Mercedes might dominate again, similar to their performance in 2014 when the hybrid rules were introduced. 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Ben Sulayem alleged to have excluded competitors from the FIA election.

Formula 1 | Mohammed Ben Sulayem is facing accusations of creating barriers that make it nearly impossible for any opponent to challenge him in this December's FIA presidential election.