FIA chief shrugs off critics: ’We don’t need fans’

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says he does not care about popularity as criticism of his leadership continues following his re-election for a second term.

The controversial Emirati has faced sustained backlash during his presidency over governance disputes, political tensions inside the FIA and repeated clashes with Formula 1 stakeholders.

But speaking to Forbes, Ben Sulayem insisted the governing body’s role is not to win public support. "People don’t understand the FIA," he said.

"The FIA is a federation. We have 245 members in 149 countries. The FIA is not Formula 1 only."

Ben Sulayem stressed that Formula 1 represents only one part of a much wider organisation overseeing global motorsport and mobility.

"Formula 1 is a world championship under the FIA," he said.

"We have karting, we have rallying, we have cross-country, we have GT, we have Formula E, we have so many championships."

Ben Sulayem argued that the FIA’s core responsibility is impartial governance, even if that makes the organisation unpopular with fans.

"What’s our mission? To be fair with everyone and to make the best for the sport," he said.

"You know, you won’t get - I will never get fans."

He said criticism inevitably follows stewarding decisions.

"When our referees, which are the stewards, take a decision of a 5-second because of a mistake of a driver, that’s the penalty," Ben Sulayem explained. "And then you have people getting upset."

But he made clear that popularity is irrelevant to the FIA.

"We’re not there to have fans, we are there to be fair with everyone," he said. "We don’t need fans.

"We need to be respected. We need to be fair. We need to be transparent."

Ben Sulayem also strongly defended the FIA’s central authority over Formula 1 amid ongoing power tensions between the governing body, Liberty Media and teams.

"If Formula 1 goes, if the FIA goes, Formula 1 goes with it," he said.

"It’s very simple. No FIA, no Formula 1."

He noted that commercial rights holders, teams and presidents all eventually change, while the FIA remains permanent.

"The promoters can change," Ben Sulayem said. "Teams come and go, drivers come and go. "Presidents come and go, but the FIA will always stay."

"You remove me, there is Formula 1. You remove the FIA, there’s no Formula 1. It’s as simple as this."