Mohammed ben Sulayem elected new FIA president

https://www.autosport.com/general/news/mohammed-ben-sulayem-elected-new-fia-president/6886377/

Mohammed ben Sulayem elected new FIA president
Mohammed ben Sulayem has been elected the new president of the FIA, taking over from the outgoing Jean Todt after 12 years.
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Image Unavailable, Please Login Luke Smith
Dec 17, 2021, 7:17 AM

Todt completed his third and final term as FIA president in 2021, but will now hand over the reins of motorsport's world governing body to Sulayem, 60, following a vote on Friday at the FIA General Assembly.

Sulayem defeated Graham Stoker, who served as the FIA's deputy president for sport under Todt, with 61.6% of the vote.

Sulayem enjoyed a lengthy career as a rally driver, winning the FIA Middle East Rally Championship on 14 occasions, before moving into governance. He was the first Arab to be elected to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, and previously served as vice-president for sport with the FIA. He also oversaw the running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and its addition to the Formula 1 calendar in 2009.

His election marks a break with the past, becoming the first non-European to serve as president of the FIA, and comes after support was given to his 'FIA for Members' campaign by Motorsport UK, the governing body of British motorsport.

Speaking to Autosport earlier this year as part of the #ThinkingForward series, Sulayem felt there was a need to grow motorsport and make it more affordable around the world, as well as expanding regional championships and helping more young drivers get into racing.

"I do intend to create better and affordable pathways for young drivers," Sulayem said in July. "That's the change. You cannot just repeat what the previous president did, it won't work. The challenges are different.

"As I said, the landscape is changing but you will not divert me from the main thing: to create better and affordable pathways for young people."

 

No comment

 

We can see where F1 is heading: less Europe, more Middle East, already happening with the races

 

Lots more F1-in-the-desert headed our way.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login FIA on the look out for a new Race Director....however the elephant (camel) in the room is Saudi Arabia

They could buy F1 rights from Liberty Media with money found down the back of the sofa. So for me the day that happens I'm out. Nobody cares of course money talks.

 

Todt was absent overall. No loss. The new gent might just be better.

 

He was in over his head.

 

So Stoker, who said his platform, if elected, would be to align the sport with Hamilton’s, um, “agenda” is out. And the guy who would be the un-Hamilton in that sense is in.

Does Sir Lewis choose this moment to retire?

 

I think not. Sir Lew can't live without the adulation of the masses.

 

That was the rumor in Blick back in the summer: the sheiks will buy Liberty, that could truly change the face of F1, then again maybe not, they are savvy businessmen after all

 

I hope that they do. They are the last people who want to see F1 morph into Formula E. EVs never, ICE forever!

 

Quietly optimistic here. MBS is a pretty good guy.

 

I never heard of him till today

 

Jeremy clarkson interview with best car collection CLK GTR F50 F40 XJ220 911 GT1 - YouTube

he's got some cool cars...hehe

 

I believe in the Middle East, EV's aren't that popular......and why should they be.

 

I've never even heard of this guy. Lets see how he does, but typically I'd like to see someone as the president of the FIA that has some proper racing background. That doesn't mean as a driver necessarily, but at least a leader of a team or racing series. A middle eastern rally champion that nobody knew about? The guy perhaps mostly behind making Abu Dhabi the season ending track that has been plagued with horribly boring races for years? To be fair, I don't know who the other guy was either.

 

EV market and adoption is growing in the Mid East and region overall. The future is E and UAE, Saudi and others are working towards that for their respective public and markets.

https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/middle-east-and-africa-automotive-electric-vehicle-market

 

Don't forget, more Tilke!

If this guy is anti-EV and pro-ICE and manages to bring back V10 and V12 cars I'm good with it. Otherwise I see no changes with the direction F1 is headed at all.

 

Meh, I don't know what plans he has. But Todt was not that great anyway so maybe it's time for a change.

BTW, we should do a thread about Todt as FIA president. Many highs and lows.

 

They seriously need a change in track designer. I believe Tilke has designed every new F1 track since at least the early 2000s. Every one of his tracks have the same feel to it.

 

It would be nice to see(and hear) multi-cylinder ICE powerplants again.

Yes like novocaine.

 

Sounds like nepotism to me! Like the rest of F1...

 

Good point.

 

MBS is looking into Lewis missing the FIA gala to see if any "sanctions" can be imposed.

 

There goes the neighborhood.