A new candidate has surfaced as a potential challenger to embattled FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the upcoming elections.
Previously, speculation suggested Susie Wolff might oppose the incumbent amid significant unrest and high-profile exits at Formula 1's governing body.
Her husband, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, offered a lukewarm denial when asked about her intentions. "Not that I know of," he stated.
However, Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko dismissed the idea of Susie Wolff as FIA president, calling it "impossible" while Toto Wolff leads and co-owns an F1 team.
Ben Sulayem's tenure as FIA president has grown increasingly unpopular. During his first grand prix appearance of 2025 in Bahrain, two notable incidents were caught on camera.
In one, Lewis Hamilton rebuffed the 63-year-old Emirati's attempt at a hug. In another, Luca di Montezemolo, attending his first race in a decade, gave Ben Sulayem a clear 'thumbs down' gesture to his face.
"If I interpret that hand signal correctly, it didn't seem very friendly," Finnish commentator Ossi Oikarinen remarked on Viaplay. "It seems that things are pretty tense at the FIA at the moment. I don't think everything we are hearing are just rumours."
Tensions within the FIA were further highlighted in February when David Richards, former F1 team boss and current Motorsport UK chair, was denied entry to a World Motor Sport Council meeting after refusing to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Just days ago, Richards publicly criticised Ben Sulayem's leadership yet again, stating that the FIA's governance processes are "becoming ever more opaque and concentrating power in the hands of the president alone."
Speculation is now growing that Richards, a prominent figure in motorsport, may run for FIA president later this year.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher weighed in on Sky Deutschland, suggesting the February incident was more than a procedural dispute. "World Motor Sport Council meetings are usually confidential, so I don't think that incident was just about that," he said.
"There have been a lot of changes in the FIA. I don't know if it's a cultural battle—are they really trying to break through outdated structures, or is Richards exaggerating?"
Schumacher added, "Hopefully it will all be cleared up soon. There is an election coming up and I know David Richards is a popular candidate. Ben Sulayem probably wanted to get rid of him so he wouldn't have to fight him for the seat."
