Controversial changes to the statutes of Formula 1’s governing body the FIA have been passed by members despite a warning the organisation is in a “dark period of democratic backsliding”.
Austria’s national motoring club, the OAMTC, criticised the statute changes in a letter to the FIA World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT) sent on Wednesday before Thursday’s vote at the FIA’s General Assembly in Macau.
The letter criticised FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s leadership and urged members not to vote for changes proposed by Ben Sulayem – and revealed by BBC Sport last month – on the basis that they “risk further contributing to the erosion of the FIA’s reputation for competent and transparent governance”.
However, members voted for the amendments by 83.35% to 16.65%.
Amendments to the ethics code were voted through even more comprehensively, with an 88.83% majority.
The result came despite support from the UK, Belgian, Portuguese and Swiss representatives for Austria’s suggestion of a postponement so the FIA could conduct a “proper review and analysis” before making a decision on whether the changes were appropriate.
An FIA spokesperson described the result as a “resounding majority” however it has not yet responded to a request for comment on the OAMTC letter.
The OAMTC letter adds that recent actions of Ben Sulayem “are inviting comparisons with the excesses of political leaders intent on deconstructing the checks and balances that come with responsible governance”.
And it hints at the prospect of a legal challenge, on the basis that the changes were “endorsed by (FIA) world council meetings that were not properly constituted, having intentionally excluded elected members from participating and voting”.
David Richards, the MotorsportUK representative on the world council, was among those members barred from a meeting in March in a dispute with Ben Sulayem over refusing to sign a revised confidentially agreement.
The OAMTC is led by Oliver Schmerold, who last year voiced his opposition to previous statute changes passed at the last General Assembly in December, describing them as “not good governance” and “not good in terms of checks and balances”.
The letter says of the proposed changes:
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Extending the deadline for potential candidates to declare “is intended to discourage opposition”.
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Removing the rule requiring 21 of the 28 members of the world motorsport council to be different nationalities “is intended to stack the WMSC with supporters rather than encourage diversity of opinion”
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Aligning the terms of office of the audit, ethics and nominations committees with that of the president “would blatantly reduce the independence of oversight bodies”
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Removing the right to approve or dismiss up to four senate members from the senate and giving it to the president “self-evidently weakens the ability of the senate to perform its oversight functions, including and especially oversight of the president himself.
Ben Sulayem’s first term of office ends this December and he is so far the only candidate to have confirmed he is standing for election. Rally legend Carlos Sainz has said he is considering running but has not made a final decision.
The letter accuses Ben Sulayem of reneging on his promises during his election campaign in 2021 to ensure “governance structures are compliant with best practices”.
And it says he has implemented none of the “critical changes” that were recommended by a review and audit of the FIA’s governance structure commissioned from McKinsey in 2022.
It highlights a series of changes that have eroded accountability at the FIA, including:
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Limiting the power of the ethics committee, saying “ethical enquiries can – in effect – be suppressed” because of the concentration of oversight into the hands of the FIA president and president of the senate.
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The eradication of the post of compliance office following the sacking of Paolo Basarri from that position last year
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Centralising decision-making power with the FIA president and president of the senate
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The imposition of contracts that require FIA personnel to pay a €50,000 fine if they breach confidentiality terms, and the power of the leadership on its own to determine whether this should be paid and why “without having a hearing, time frame, right of appeal or any definition of what confidentiality means”.
