Mayer has long experience in motorsport, having worked for 15 years as a race steward in F1 and in senior leadership positions in championships in the US, including Indycar, and the Imsa and American Le Mans series sports car series.

“I can bring value to our stakeholders, whether they are small clubs in under-served regions, or whether it’s the Formula 1 track,” he said. “I’m equally comfortable in both places.

“And as much as I come from motorsport, I’ve spent the last six months educating myself on the mobility side and what that opportunity is.

“And to me, actually, that’s the larger opportunity, is the opportunity to have a global impact for sustainability, for accessibility, and for safety all around the world.”

Mayer said Ben Sulayem had not fulfilled the promises he made when the Emirati was elected president in December 2021.

“Mohamed ran on some very good ideas – listening to small clubs,” Mayer said. “He promised that he would be a non-executive president, he promised transparency, and he has delivered on none of that. In fact, he’s gone completely the opposite direction.

“We have the illusion of integrity. And what we’ve seen is a wave after wave of statutes changes, which are designed to concentrate power in one office, which is the exact opposite of what he promised when he was running.”

The FIA said the statute changes were voted through by members through the body’s “democratic process”.

A spokesperson said the changes “further strengthen processes around governance and confidentiality” and “grant the nominations committee more time to examine the eligibility criteria of candidates, and help to ensure consistency and rigour in the electoral process”.

They added: “The FIA presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness, transparency, and integrity at every stage.”