Mohammed Ben Sulayem

[TheDeuce]

vaud said:

Only F1 threatening to break away and create their own, non FIA sanctioned series, might influence him - given that F1 funds the FIA.

Good luck finding circuits. Circuits could choose to also break away from the FIA and host F1 of course... But it'd be the only event they ever host.

Also would require a new governing body to be setup that couldn't be part of the new 'F1', it has to be independent and somehow financed.

It could technically work, but the reality is that Liberty would need to be paying for everything at a high rate and it could be many years before they see a profit again.

I'm certain that most stakeholders would rather ignore the presence of the blatant dictator at the the FIA and simply not upset the cash cow.

[vaud]

TheDeuce said:

Good luck finding circuits. Circuits could choose to also break away from the FIA and host F1 of course... But it'd be the only event they ever host.

Also would require a new governing body to be setup that couldn't be part of the new 'F1', it has to be independent and somehow financed.

It could technically work, but the reality is that Liberty would need to be paying for everything at a high rate and it could be many years before they see a profit again.

I'm certain that most stakeholders would rather ignore the presence of the blatant dictator at the the FIA and simply not upset the cash cow.

Its possible, but I agree improbable. F1 holds some cards in negotiations. Not sure if the FIA can punish a circuit for hosting a non FIA race? That would strike me as anti-competitive and at least in Europe the kind of thing that the EU like to look at?

[thegreenhell]

vaud said:

Its possible, but I agree improbable. F1 holds some cards in negotiations. Not sure if the FIA can punish a circuit for hosting a non FIA race? That would strike me as anti-competitive and at least in Europe the kind of thing that the EU like to look at?

The way it's going, Liberty would probably be happy to run exclusively on stty temporary street circuits anyway, and not have to deal with those pesky legacy racing circuits with all their history and established fanbases.

[TheDeuce]

vaud said:

Its possible, but I agree improbable. F1 holds some cards in negotiations. Not sure if the FIA can punish a circuit for hosting a non FIA race? That would strike me as anti-competitive and at least in Europe the kind of thing that the EU like to look at?

The FIA would find ways to steer other motorsport away from dissenting circuits. If it ever actually happened, they probably wouldn't need to do so for very long before the wheels fell off the new 'F1' effort.

All hypothetical of course, nobody knows how it would play out legally which is one of many reasons I'm sure very few would ever contemplate trying.

[TheDeuce]

thegreenhell said:

vaud said:

Its possible, but I agree improbable. F1 holds some cards in negotiations. Not sure if the FIA can punish a circuit for hosting a non FIA race? That would strike me as anti-competitive and at least in Europe the kind of thing that the EU like to look at?

The way it's going, Liberty would probably be happy to run exclusively on stty temporary street circuits anyway, and not have to deal with those pesky legacy racing circuits with all their history and established fanbases.

Yes the one safe type of circuit would be new and existing street circuits, as they generally don't need the support of any other series to make sense.

But on the other hand... they only currently make sense because F1 is a sumisable blockbuster sport that brings money into each city. Any new breakaway series would need to somehow offer the same impact overnight - which sounds impossible.

[WilsonWilson]

The chance of a breakaway is probably the lowest in many decades.

Liberty are far more risk averse than Ecclestone and even he was mostly - it's FOM and FIA together. The teams are useless at sticking together and have seen incomes rise, costs fall and valuations rocket.

MBS isn't really responsible for the recent success of F1 but he isn't a serious threat to it either.

[Eau301]

If MBS goes then so does Shaila-Ann Rao - Mercedes are riding high again as a result.

[thegreenhell]

In a surprise to nobody, the FIA have voted through a proposal to scrap term limits for the FIA presidency, allowing MBS to remain in charge for as long as he can continue to rig the system in his favour. His next step will be to scrap the upper age limit for presidency, which he will otherwise hit in six years time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/ckg8...

[TheDeuce]

What a creep, obsessed with young drivers hair.

https://youtube.com/shorts/_XNgsIkMkd0?si=dhvGAENb...


Be sure to check out the comments on that video too. Also just look at his parents faces!!

[Jasandjules]

What a joke.

[Otispunkmeyer]

thegreenhell said:

In a surprise to nobody, the FIA have voted through a proposal to scrap term limits for the FIA presidency, allowing MBS to remain in charge for as long as he can continue to rig the system in his favour. His next step will be to scrap the upper age limit for presidency, which he will otherwise hit in six years time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/ckg8...

How can this sort of blatant gaming be allowed to go on? He might want to hold onto power forever but I'm sure no-one else wants that. Ultimately can the FIA just be binned off and everyone affiliates to some other outfit?

FIA, FIFA, thr IOC... Why are all these organisation so transparently bent? And why can't anything be done about it?

[vaud]

Otispunkmeyer said:

How can this sort of blatant gaming be allowed to go on? He might want to hold onto power forever but I'm sure no-one else wants that. Ultimately can the FIA just be binned off and everyone affiliates to some other outfit?

FIA, FIFA, thr IOC... Why are all these organisation so transparently bent? And why can't anything be done about it?

Per Ai, but I think it is correct:

Here is a quick breakdown of how they operate and who holds them accountable:

The Structure: Top-Down Hierarchies

Despite their different sports, FIFA, the FIA, and the IOC share a similar governance model. They feature a supreme legislative body (an assembly or congress where members vote), an executive board for strategy, and a highly powerful President. However, their "one-member, one-vote" systems often consolidate power at the top and historically encourage patronage or vote-trading.

The Legal Loophole: Shielded from Corporate Law
FIFA and the IOC are headquartered in Switzerland, while the FIA is primarily in France. Legally, they operate as non-profit "associations." This legal framework was originally designed for small, local hobby groups. Because of this, these massive global entities enjoy major tax exemptions, minimal financial disclosure requirements, and are largely shielded from standard corporate oversight laws.

Accountability: Mostly Self-Policing
So, who watches the watchmen? Mostly, they watch themselves. Because of their legal status and the principle of "sporting autonomy," host governments generally leave them alone.
• Internal ethics: They rely on their own internal ethics or audit committees, but these members are ultimately approved by the leadership they are supposed to oversee.
• The Courts: Even when sports disputes go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), CAS is mainly there to enforce the rules that the FIA, FIFA, or IOC wrote for themselves, not to audit their corporate governance.

When Real Oversight Actually Happens
Because structural accountability is so weak, the only things that truly force these organizations to change are external threats:
• Law Enforcement: When internal corruption crosses the line into international crimes like wire fraud or money laundering (e.g., the US DOJ and FBI taking down top FIFA officials in 2015).
• The Money: These organizations rely on commercial revenue. When massive scandals hit, the threat of primary sponsors and broadcasters pulling billions of dollars is often the fastest way to force a resignation or a rule change.

[732NM]

Otispunkmeyer said:

How can this sort of blatant gaming be allowed to go on? He might want to hold onto power forever but I'm sure no-one else wants that. Ultimately can the FIA just be binned off and everyone affiliates to some other outfit?

FIA, FIFA, thr IOC... Why are all these organisation so transparently bent? And why can't anything be done about it?

Lots of motorsport is not affiliated to the FIA. I competed for years in none MSUK sanctioned motorsport in the UK.

The FIA income isn't from sponsorship.