'Mohammed Ben Sulayem proposes radical shake-up to cement power' - report

Mohammed Ben Sulayem has proposed a series of major changes to FIA rules, which could further cement his grip on power, it has been reported. 

The FIA president, who is due to stand for re-election later this year, is looking to bring forward the deadline for candidates to declare for the election, thus giving him the possibility of barring anyone from standing against him, whilst also earning more control over the FIA Senate, it was reported by BBC Sport. 

It is reported by the BBC that one clause in the draft proposals states that there "must not be anything in the record of candidates standing for election as members of the FIA presidential list that calls into question their professional integrity."

It is claimed that simply, this is to bring the presidency into line "as a matter of consistency" as a series of other FIA positions require such a check to be passed, but the FIA nominations committee currently examines presidential candidates and their election teams to identify any potential conflicts of interest, with any such case then passed onto the code of ethics committee. 

If such a rule were adopted, it could hamper the chances of Carlos Sainz Sr standing for election, given the clear conflict of interest that would exist, given his son, Carlos Sainz Jr, races in Formula 1 for Williams.

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Further changes proposed

In terms of the timing of the election, it is claimed that the FIA president is looking to extend the period of declaration from 21 days to 49, ostensibly to ensure candidates and their teams pass all checks to stand. 

Under the rules, the potential president of the Senate, deputy president for sport and mobility and regional vice-presidents must all be named, with critics fearing that the change could simply give the nominations committee more time to find reasons to reject candidates or members of their 11-person bid team.

It is also claimed by the BBC that Ben Sulayem is looking to change the make-up of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), the body which formally applies rule changes to F1, and other FIA championships. 

It is reported he wants to make sure there are no more than "two members of the same nationality" between the seven vice-presidents and 14 elected members, something one critic believes allows the FIA president to "stack the WMSC with the people he wants."

Further changes to the ethics committee, and bringing its four-year term cycle into line with that of the presidency, have also been proposed, it is claimed.