FIA looks to change rules into its governance after recent controversies

The FIA wants to make changes to its rules following investigations into president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his governance.

A series of proposals have been submitted ahead of a vote of the FIA general assembly on 13 December.

The plan is to replace the existing senate and ensure that any ethics complaints would be handled by the FIA president and the president of its senate, Carmelo Sanz de Barros.

The BBC reports that the revisions would abolish the audit committee’s power for an independent investigation into financial issues.

The proposal would effectively see Ben Sulayem ring-fenced.

It comes in a turbulent year for Ben Sulayem, who is now gearing up for an election campaign for a second term in office at the FIA.

He currently remains unopposed, and the measures being pushed through would only serve to strengthen his position at the top of the governing body.

In March, Ben Sulayem faced accusations from an FIA whistleblower that he interfered in the outcome of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

He was also accused of urging FIA officials not to certify the Las Vegas circuit for last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. Both claims were dismissed.

The BBC also claims that Ben Sulayem has faced “questions about the finances of his private office; the establishment of a $1.5m ‘president’s fund’ to pay member clubs, which vote for the FIA president”.

None of these accusations were progressed.

Ben Sulayem is facing a series of questions about his administration. Last week, he sacked long-standing F1 race steward Tim Mayer, who claimed he was told via a text message.

Mayer claimed that he was axed after Ben Sulayem “took offence” following an appeal by the Circuit of the Americas chiefs following a track invasion by fans at the US GP.

Former chief executive officer Natalie Robyn quit the FIA after she raised questions about the governance of the organisation, its practices and finances in the president’s office.

Head of the audit committee Bertrand Badre and audit committee member, Tom Purves, were both fired in the summer and compliance officer, Paolo Basarri, who had overseen the complaint about Ben Sulayem meddling in the outcome of the Saudi GP, was also fired last month.

There have been a substantial number of key personnel who have left the organisation, leading to growing concerns about the calibre of staff left at the FIA.

In recent months, the BBC reports that the FIA has also lost its sporting director, F1 technical director, digital director, head of commercial legal affairs, governance and regulatory director, race director, the head of the women in motorsport commission, secretary general of mobility and director of communications, as well as the three most senior HR staff.

Steven Kalifowitz, CMO, Crypto, Tim Mayer, Director of Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, and Miami Dolphins Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, on the podium for the trophy presentations

Photo by: Mark Sutton

If the changes are agreed by the FIA general assembly it would mean the ethics committee’s power would be diluted from the ability to “investigate and assess” complaints with a power only to “carry out an initial assessment to determine whether an in-depth investigation is necessary”.

This would then be handed to the president of the senate, who would decide if further action is needed.

Another tweak would also ensure that any investigation into the FIA president would be reported to the president of the senate and the president himself.

This would ensure that the FIA president and the president of the senate would have power over any ethics inquiry.

Further changes would remove the power of the compliance officer to investigate any irregularities concerning the FIA president or any other person on his or her team.

They also remove the role of the audit committee in “assuring the accuracy, relevance, and permanence” of the FIA’s accounting methods with a simple requirement to “review” them.

Finally, they remove the audit committee from signing off the FIA’s accounts, again with the power going to the president of the senate.

The FIA has declined to comment.