FIA president plans to remove age limits for officials

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is planning to end age limits for office holders in motorsport's governing body. The proposal is set for consideration at next month's FIA General Assembly, arriving six months after Ben Sulayem successfully removed term limits for leadership positions across the organisation.

Current FIA statutes prohibit anyone over the age of 75 from joining a presidential team. Critics allege that this latest initiative is part of a broader strategy by Ben Sulayem to secure his position as president for life.

A proposal intended for the General Assembly, which has been reviewed by BBC Sport, claims that "age limits could restrict the number of qualified candidates eligible for election by the competent bodies, in particular individuals whose experience and expertise could be of benefit to the FIA".

An age limit of 70 was previously introduced in 2023 during the first term of Ben Sulayem. This measure was widely seen as a tactic to prevent MotorsportUK boss David Richards from challenging Ben Sulayem in the 2025 presidential election. At that time, the 64-year-old Ben Sulayem argued the change would "enhance governance and accountability within the organisation".

The FIA further stated that the introduction of an age limit "reflected the FIA's commitment to maintaining high standards in its leadership and governance structures". The FIA has been contacted for comment regarding this shift in policy but has not provided a response.

Ben Sulayem's current actions coincide with a European Parliament resolution from October 2025 concerning the "the role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model". This resolution features a clause that "recognises that the autonomy of sport is conditional upon good governance, and calls on international, European, and national sports organisations, as well as stakeholder-representative organisations, to implement the highest standards of governance, integrity and transparency, with appropriate checks and balances to ensure accountability".

A consultation on this matter, which was launched in April 2026, is expected to provide a report by the end of this year. The European Union aims to "tackle the major challenges facing the sport sector. These include financial sustainability and inequalities, governance issues, volunteering decline and inclusion. The goal is to address these challenges through coordinated action at European level."

The age limit was increased to 75 in 2024, with the organisation stating it was "modernising the governance of the FIA and ensuring that candidates for the presidency are more aligned with current leadership practices". Age limits for leaders remain inconsistent across various sports governing bodies, as some organisations promote renewal while others prefer to allow the broadest possible range of candidates.

Ben Sulayem was initially elected FIA president in 2021 and was re-elected unopposed last December due to a quirk in FIA statutes that barred other candidates from standing. Three individuals who intended to challenge him, including former racing driver Laura Villars and ex-FIA steward Tim Mayer, were blocked from entering the race. Villars is presently pursuing legal action against Ben Sulayem and the FIA in France to challenge the electoral process.

The presidency of Ben Sulayem has been defined by numerous controversies regarding transparency and governance. In addition to removing term limits, he has implemented statutes that consolidate power and reduce accountability. Furthermore, he has dismissed several senior officers who questioned his leadership style, including chief executive officer Natalie Robyn, who raised concerns regarding general governance, and the head of the audit committee Bertrand Badre, a former head of the World Bank, as well as the compliance officer who investigated and cleared Ben Sulayem regarding charges of interfering with two separate aspects of F1 operations.

Robert Reid, who served as Ben Sulayem's first vice-president for sport, resigned in April 2025 and cited "a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within" the FIA. Meanwhile, at the upcoming General Assembly in Shanghai, Ben Sulayem faces a formal request from the Ukraine Automobile Federation (FAU) to add an agenda item regarding alleged violations of FIA statutes and the international sporting code by the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF).

The RAF has established regional branches in four cities that are recognised as sovereign areas of Ukraine by the United Nations. Although the FAU requested that the FIA investigate this matter via its court of appeal, no response has been received. The FAU is now calling for the FIA to suspend the membership of the RAF until it closes all offices in Ukraine and ceases all activities there.

FAU president Oleksander Feldman stated: "Our proposal is fully consistent with the position of the International Olympic Committee regarding the conditions for the participation of Russian athletes in competitions. Indeed, such participation became possible specifically".