Sainz Sr considering running for FIA president
Carlos Sainz Sr won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1990 and 1992 [Getty Images]
Rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr is considering running for president of the FIA, motorsport's governing body, in December's election.
The 63-year-old two-time world champion told motorsport.com he was "in the process of figuring out how much support I will get in the community of motorsport".
Sainz - who is also a four-time winner of the Dakar Rally, on which this year he was still competing - would be running against current FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, whose term in office since 2021 has been beset by controversy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
Ben Sulayem has not yet formally declared his intention to run again, but is known to be intending to. No other potential candidate has yet declared interest.
Sainz said: "This possibility 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.
"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."
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
Sainz is widely regarded as a man of seriousness and integrity, as well as unquestionably an all-time great in his field. Sources say he is a consequential candidate and would have widespread support from within the sport.
Sainz said there would be no conflict of interest with the fact that his son Carlos is an active F1 driver with Williams.
"I have my track record and people know me well enough to understand that this will not be an issue," Sainz said. "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 any more, 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.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
"The FIA is a very serious entity and there will be no conflict."
Ben Sulayem suffered a blow to his presidency with the resignation of his deputy president for sport, Robert Reid, last month.
Reid quit citing "a fundamental breakdown in governance standards" within the FIA.
On the day Reid announced his resignation, the former FIA chief executive officer Natalie Robyn broke the silence she had maintained since being forced to resign last summer after 18 months in the role.
Robyn told BBC Sport the FIA had "serious ongoing structural challenges", adding that "professional processes are not adhered to and stakeholders are excluded from decision-making".
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
Robyn's departure came after she raised questions about the general governance of the FIA and its professional practices, including finances in the president's office.
Her departure was followed by those of the head of the audit committee Bertrand Badre, a former head of the World Bank, and audit committee member Tom Purves, a former BMW executive.
In November, Ben Sulayem fired FIA compliance officer Paolo Basarri, who in March last year looked into allegations that Ben Sulayem interfered in the operations of the Saudi Arabian and Las Vegas Grands Prix in 2023. Ben Sulayem was cleared following an investigation by the FIA's ethics committee.
The FIA is currently the subject of legal action by Susie Wolff, the boss of the F1 Academy for aspiring female drivers, after a controversial conflict of interest inquiry into her and her husband, Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes motorsport.
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
Senior FIA figures have also raised concerns about Ben Sulayem's decision to change the statutes of the governing body last year to reduce accountability.
And at last weekend's Miami Grand Prix, Grand Prix Drivers' Association director George Russell called for action rather than words from the FIA on the controversy over censures for swearing and criticising the governing body.
The FIA is also yet to explain the circumstances behind the return to the organisation of former interim secretary general Shaila-Ann Rao, a little over two years after she left the organisation following a difficult relationship with Ben Sulayem.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Jannik Sinner bids for first French Open title against defending champ Carlos Alcaraz
But Alcaraz has considerable factors in his favor. He has a 21-1 record on clay this year, winning titles on the dirt in Rome — beating Sinner in the final after the Italian returned from his doping ban — and Monte Carlo. Advertisement Alcaraz also has won the past four matches against Sinner, leads him 7-4 overall, and has won more majors — 4-3 — despite being one year younger at 22. He has also played in a French Open final before, which Sinner has not. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz owns a 21-1 record this season on clay courts heading into Sunday's French Open final. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images Djokovic, who owns a men's-record 24 major titles and 100 in total, has faced and beaten the greatest players of his era. But he felt the relentless aggression of Sinner's forehand and booming power of his serve during his straight-set defeat on Friday — his fourth straight loss to Sinner. Djokovic has also lost in two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz, who displays shot-making wizardry from anywhere on the court, and sometimes hits even harder than Sinner does. Advertisement So Djokovic knows just how difficult it is to cope against both players, saying 'these kind of guys, like Sinner and Alcaraz, they're constantly on you and basically increase the pressure as the match progresses.' Djokovic added: 'When the opportunities are presented, they're very rare, so it makes you a little more anxious.' Jannik Sinner (left) simply overpowered the legendary Novak Djokovic in the men's semifinals on Friday. Thibault Camus/Associated Press Sinner said the key to his victory against Djokovic, who pushed him hard in the third set on Friday, was staying calm and, somehow, managing to have enough focus amid the onslaught of Djokovic's attacks to still see the big picture. 'It's important to take your time. It's important to understand the moments of the match, which I think I made very good,' he said. 'The mental part was in a good spot.' That's where he maybe has the edge over Alcaraz. The jovial Spaniard, who loves to entertain the crowd, has looked the more nervous player at Roland-Garros so far. At times he struggled against eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in their semifinal, which Alcaraz won in four sets after the Italian retired with a leg injury. But he's 'not worried' about dropping a few sets. 'Because I know that I have time and I'm strong mentally enough to come back,' Alcaraz said. Alcaraz proved that in last year's French Open final, when he came back from 2-1 down in sets to beat Alexander Zverev, another big server like Sinner. The hallmarks of his comeback in that match were down-the-line, forehand winners mixed with remarkable drop shots launched from anywhere. Carlos Alcaraz loves to entertain with his shot-making ability, but he also badly wants to win his fifth Grand Slam title on Sunday. Thibault Camus/Associated Press Sinner is serving better than Alcaraz, however, and also showed his deft touch with a majestic flick-of-the-wrist drop shot that mesmerized even Djokovic. 'It's going to be a really great Sunday,' Alcaraz said. 'For the fans of tennis.' Advertisement The result will see either Alcaraz pulling away to a 5-3 lead in major titles, or Sinner equalizing on 4-4. A new tennis rivalry to match the glorious three-way battle for supremacy between Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? 'At the moment, that's kind of hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years nonstop in order to be part of the same discussion,' the 38-year-old Djokovic said Friday, laughing. 'But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something that our sport needs, no doubt. I'm sure that we're going to see them lifting the big trophies quite often.'
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Ted Cruz was with president when Musk's barrage of attacks started: ‘Trump was pissed'
Sen. Ted Cruz was with a fuming President Trump as Elon Musk viciously attacked his former ally online Thursday — with the Texas Republican saying the spat made him feel like he was a kid in the middle of a divorce. 'I was sitting in the Oval as this unfolded. Trump was pissed. He was venting,' the Republican senator revealed on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz' Friday. 'I was sitting there, and the tweets were coming…. Elon was saying some really harsh things.' The SpaceX and Tesla billionaire went on a multi-day social media offensive against Trump, panning the president's 'big, beautiful' reconciliation bill 'disgusting' and urging Congress to kill it. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk fumed after Trump spoke out about the simmering feud. Cruz, who's friends with both former bros, called their very public break-up this week 'incredibly painful.' 'These are two men whom I know very well, they're both good friends of mine,' he said. 3 President Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk came to blows on social media this week, ending their bromance. AFP via Getty Images 'I feel like the kids of a bitter divorce where you're just saying, 'I really wish mommy and daddy would stop screaming.'' 3 Ted Cruz talked about the break-up this Friday on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz.' Verdict with Ted Cruz/Facebook Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week — with Trump threatening to cancel billions of dollars in government contracts to Musk's companies and Musk claiming Trump was holding out on making the Jeffrey Epstein files public because he's in them. 3 Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week. Getty Images 'It just went from zero to 11 instantaneously,' said Cruz. 'These are two alpha males who are pissed off. And unfortunately, they're unloading on each other … They're angry, it's not complicated.' Cruz and his co-host commented that they thought both men are right — Trump's big beautiful budget bill has to get passed but the government has to tackle the deficit more as Musk argued. 'Unfortunately, Elon is working under the assumption that Congress actually wants to do the job and save our country,' said podcast co-host Ben Ferguson. 'And I think Trump is working under the reality that there's a lot of people in Congress that actually aren't looking out for the American people.' Musk on Saturday deleted his post about the Epstein files in a sign he was ready to throw in the towel. But Trump made it clear he wasn't interested in kissing and making up anytime soon. 'I have no intention of speaking to him,' he told NBC News.
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
The transformation that's made Kennedy Burke into a bona fide Sixth Player of the Year candidate
We've got you covered on the Liberty beat Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA. tRY IT NOW WASHINGTON — Days after the Liberty were crowned WNBA champions for the first time in franchise history, Kennedy Burke laced up her sneakers and headed to the court. The work that she put in over the next six or so months has resulted in a wildly efficient start that's made her an early candidate for Sixth Player of the Year. Her shooting numbers through eight games are staggering — 54.5 percent (24-for-44) from the field and 59.3 percent (16-for-27) from deep. It's a massive leap from a season ago when she shot 40.9/25.9 on fewer attempts per game. Asked how good Burke's shot feels right now, the veteran admitted to The Post, 'It does feel pretty good.' But she made sure to follow that up by giving credit to her teammates 'for giving me the ball when I'm wide open and then just me shooting with confidence.' 3 Kennedy Burke of the New York Liberty dribbles the ball during the game against the Connecticut Sun on June 1, 2025 at Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York. NBAE via Getty Images Coach Sandy Brondello knew Burke was due for a larger role in the rotation this season, her second with the Liberty. When the Valkyries picked Kayla Thornton in the expansion draft, Burke became even more important to the Liberty's plans for a title repeat. Brondello has seen Burke's confidence early this season, which the coach attributed to Burke's offseason work. But it wasn't a matter of tweaking her mechanics. 'It was just reps, honestly,' she said after the Liberty's 86-78 win against the Mystics. Her mental approach has changed. 3 Kennedy Burke (22) and Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün (13) battle for a rebound during the second half of a game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post 'Just knowing that when I shoot the ball, it's going to go in,' Burke said. 'So just having that confidence consistently.' But she has been more empowered than ever to let it fly from deep since Natasha Cloud arrived in Brooklyn. Cloud and Burke spent a brief period of time as teammates for the Mystics in 2022. 3 Kennedy Burke has played a key role with the Liberty this season. Getty Images Cloud knew then Burke had the potential to be an X-factor if she was given the right role. The pair worked out together before training camp started in late April, and the veteran point guard has been encouraging Burke to be aggressive. 'She's been on my butt, just saying, 'If you're wide open, shoot the damn ball,' ' Burke said. 'She's been on me since the beginning of the season — even preseason, honestly. And I will credit that to her, just giving me that confidence.' Cloud may have instilled that belief in Burke, but the results are all Burke's to claim. When Jonquel Jones went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter Thursday, Burke was one of the players who stepped up. For the second time this season, she went 4-for-4 from deep, finishing with 12 points. 'It's been great and certainly we've needed all of those 3-point shots,' Brondello said. Burke's hot start has earned her a spot in the conversation for Sixth Player of the Year. Her 9.3 points per game has her tied for fourth among bench players in scoring, but no one is shooting the ball as efficiently as her. Scoring isn't the only marker for those end-of-season awards. But the off-the-bench boost that she continues to provide on a nightly basis is hard to ignore.
