FIA president supporters accused of being 'very flawed'

The FIA has been accused of "going backwards" under president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, with anyone defending the Emirati's time in charge to be "very flawed".

Motorsport UK chairman David Richards has endured a public fallout with Ben Sulayem this year, and is perceived to be a supporter of opposition candidate Tim Mayer in the run-up to the presidential elections in Uzbekistan on December 12.

A row between former F1 team boss Richards and Ben Sulayem was sparked when the former was barred from attending a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council after refusing to sign a confidentiality agreement demanded of the organisation's members.

Richards, who initially supported Ben Sulayem's bid to be president in 2021 on the back of promises made at the time regarding transparency, accountability and integrity, feels grossly let down by what he has since witnessed.

"I want to go back to the original mandate that I supported with Mohammed, and I want to see that delivered," said Richards, speaking to RacingNews365.

"I want to see that original manifesto, which I still believe stands good today, delivered to the FIA, where we have a professionally managed organisation with a president who offers leadership but is a non-executive, where we have transparency of all that's going on within the FIA in a very open and democratic way.

"That, to my mind, means unravelling some of the things that have gone on in the last couple of years, because we've gone backwards in that period of time.

"And anyone who seeks to defend that is very flawed. I hear arguments [from people saying], 'Well, look what's been achieved', and all the rest of it. Dig under the surface, and I'm sorry, it is not what it all seems."

New candidate means vital debate

Mayer, a former F1 steward axed by Ben Sulayem in November last year, threw his hat into the ring to run against him ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend.

Mayer, the son of Teddy, who led McLaren following the death of the team's founder Bruce McLaren in 1970, accused Ben Sulayem of "a reign of terror" in his leadership, and of creating various 'illusions' regarding progress, financial turnaround and integrity.

Richards has insisted Mayer's bid for the presidency "is not a personal thing".

He added: "This is about delivering on the promises of that manifesto, and I think we're all aligned on that front. I don't think there's any dispute about that.

"What this does for me...I was very fearful there would be no candidate standing forward, so what this does is allow us the opportunity for debate.

"Tim coming forward has allowed us to discuss all these issues, to contrast the different approaches and point out the way we think there are failings, and how they can be addressed.

"In my role at Motorsport UK, it's that debate I'm more interested in than supporting individuals per se.

"Obviously, it's a long way off before we have to make that vote in the election, but between now and then, there's a great opportunity for debate to see what has truly been achieved, what has not been achieved, and what we feel is important."