Carlos Sainz Sr. Is 'Confident' He Could Do a 'Good Job' as FIA President

The Drive

07-05-2025

The FIA will hold its next presidential election on Dec. 12, with current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirming that he'll seek a second term. Susie Wolff had emerged as a possible candidate some time ago, but rumors dissipated due to a potential conflict of interest given her husband's role at Mercedes, leaving Ben Sulayem unchallenged. That changed Wednesday, however, when rally superstar Carlos Sainz Sr. confirmed that he's 'currently in the process of figuring out how much support I will get from the community of motorsport.'
In an interview with Motorsport.com , the WRC and Dakar champion confirmed that 'now is the right time' to seek the presidency, while clearing up that the link to his son, current Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz, would not pose a conflict of interest.
'There are plenty of reasons, but I have been driving for more than 40 years and this sport has given me everything,' he told Motorsport . 'This possibility [of being president] has been in my mind for some time now, not very deeply, but now I think it could be the right time in my career for me to take the step. I'm confident I can do a good job and put together an excellent team to give back to the sport part of what it has given me.' Getty GIUSEPPE CACACE
'I have accumulated a lot of experience in this sport throughout the years and I'm certain I can bring new and interesting things, to strengthen and develop the sport and the automobile world,' added Sainz Sr. 'I have my track record and people know me well enough to understand that [Sainz Jr.] will not be an issue. Obviously, I will have to step down regarding my role with Carlos and his career, but this is not an issue at all. He's not a child anymore, he has been in F1 for a decade now, and we both know that if I go ahead with this project, our relationship will change, of course.'
Ben Sulayem's reign has been tainted with controversy, starting with the controversial call of 2021's Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, followed by rumors of influencing the outcome of the Saudi Arabian GP to please major sponsor Aramco, and lately with the strict implementation of Appendix B, which heavily fines any driver who uses a curse word during a race weekend. Getty Mark Thompson
More recently, however, the FIA has come under fire for its closed-door meetings that were once open to various other positions within the organization in order to keep some sense of checks and balances. Ben Sulayem has personally fired several employees who are believed to have spoken against him or his measures, causing U.K. motorsports chief David Richards to threaten legal action for the 'erosion of accountability and good governance within the FIA.'
The 63-year-old rally star would not comment on Ben Sulayem's controversies or the current state of affairs between him and F1 (and WRC) drivers, only adding that if he does run for president, 'it will not be to fight anyone, it will be out of passion and love for motorsport.'
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Jerry Perez is the Deputy Editor at The Drive, overseeing the site's daily and long-term content initiatives in addition to writing his own features and reviews. He's been covering the automotive industry professionally since 2015 and joined The Drive in January 2018.