The Swiss-French candidate confirmed she has been authorised by the Judicial Court of Paris to summon the FIA before an emergency judge, with a hearing set for November 10.
Villars is seeking to delay the election until a ruling can be made on what she describes as a “lack of transparency” and “democratic pluralism” within the federation’s electoral process.
“I have twice tried to open a constructive dialogue with the FIA on essential matters such as internal democracy and the transparency of electoral rules,” Villars said in a statement.
“The responses received were not up to the challenge. I am not acting against the FIA. I am acting to protect it. Democracy is not a threat to the FIA; it is its strength.”
The 28-year-old announced her candidacy earlier this year but, like several others, was unable to officially submit a complete presidential list due to the FIA’s regional representation requirements.
Under the current rules, candidates must nominate seven vice presidents from each of the FIA’s six global regions, all drawn from members of the World Motor Sport Council.
However, only one person — Fabiana Ecclestone — was eligible to serve as vice president for South America, and she is aligned with incumbent president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
As a result, no challenger was able to field a complete list before the October 24 deadline, leaving Ben Sulayem as the only eligible candidate for the December 12 election.
Former FIA steward Tim Mayer, who had also intended to run, withdrew earlier this month, calling the process “the illusion of democracy.”
Mayer’s FIA Forward campaign has backed Villars’ legal challenge, describing it as an important step toward reform.
“We applaud the action taken by Laura as an important step to implement the necessary reforms for democracy and transparency,” the campaign said in a statement.
“We will be supporting her effort with all the considerable knowledge and experience of our team, ultimately in the interest of seeing an open election for the FIA Member Clubs.”
The Paris court has also invited both parties to attend a conciliation meeting in an attempt to reach common ground.
“I will go to this mediation hearing with the same attitude I have maintained from the beginning – calm, openness, and determination,” Villars said.
“I hope it will finally lead to a sincere dialogue in the service of a FIA that is more modern, fair, and connected to its members.”
The FIA has maintained that the election process is fair and consistent with previous years.
“The FIA Presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage,” the organisation said in a statement.
“The requirements for the 2025 FIA elections, including the relevant deadlines and eligibility criteria for the Presidential List and World Councils, are defined in the FIA Statutes and Internal Regulations, which are publicly available on the FIA’s website.”
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