The American, who launched his FIA Forward campaign earlier this year promising transparency and reform within the governing body, confirmed his withdrawal in Austin ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
Despite conceding that the December 12 election is effectively decided, Mayer says his campaign for change will continue.
“The election for the president of the FIA is over, but our campaign is not,” Mayer said.
“There will be no vote between ideas, no contest of visions, no test of leadership. There will only be one candidate — and that’s not democracy, that’s the illusion of democracy.”
Under FIA statutes, presidential candidates must submit a list of vice-presidents for sport representing each global region.
Those individuals can only be selected from names nominated for the World Motor Sport Council. With only one nominee from South America — Brazil’s Fabiana Ecclestone, who has publicly backed Ben Sulayem — and just two from Africa, both aligned with the incumbent, Mayer said there was no legitimate path for him to stand.
“Quite simply, there is no choice,” he said.
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“The system so strongly favours the incumbent that candidates face the disheartening prospect of not even getting to the starting gate in what has become a one-horse race.”
Mayer expressed concern that the number of eligible World Motor Sport Council nominees had dropped from 40 in 2021 to 29 in 2025, questioning whether member clubs had been “persuaded, pressured or promised something not to stand.”
“When elections are decided before ballots are even passed, that’s not democracy — that’s theatre,” he said.
“When member clubs are left with no real choice, they become spectators, not participants.”
Mayer confirmed that he has submitted multiple ethics complaints to the FIA over the election process, alleging a lack of transparency from the nominations committee and broader structural failings within the organisation.
“We strongly believe a series of ethics violations have been committed in this election process,” he said.
“Assuming the ethics committee finds validity to our complaints, where does this go for action?
“The president of the FIA or the senate president — both conflicted parties. The statutes don’t provide any appeal.
“Where is the accountability? This is how institutions fail. This is power without brakes.”
In response to Mayer, the FIA said in a statement to Speedcafe that the presidential election is a “structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage.”
The governing body noted that all eligibility criteria, deadlines, and requirements for the 2025 elections — including regional representation of vice-presidents and selection from the World Motor Sport Council — are defined in FIA statutes and internal regulations, which have been publicly available on the FIA website since June 13, 2025.
The FIA added that these criteria are “not new” and have “applied to previous elections.”
Despite the setback, Mayer says the FIA Forward campaign will continue to advocate for integrity and equal representation within the federation.
“For every club that still believes fairness matters; for every sport and mobility club that seeks equal access to information, funding, and opportunity; for every participant who believes the FIA should support them, not compete with them — we will continue to speak out,” he said.
“We will keep driving the FIA forward until democracy, service and partnership are the living values that define our Federation every day.”
With Mayer’s withdrawal, Ben Sulayem is now set to secure a second term as FIA President unopposed when elections are held in December.
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