SPOTLIGHT: FIA PRESIDENT BEN SULAYEM ‘PLANNING TO REMOVE AGE LIMITS’ FOR OFFICE-HOLDERS

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is moving to scrap age limits for the governing body's office holders, the BBC reports—the latest in a string of governance changes that tighten his grip on the organization. Ben Sulayem already abolished maximum term limits earlier this year, clearing the runway for an indefinite stay at the top. He won re-election in 2025 after potential challengers were shut out by the FIA's election-list rules, a process that left him running effectively unopposed.

The pattern is unmistakable: each tweak to the rulebook makes it harder to challenge the incumbent and easier for Ben Sulayem to extend his tenure. The FIA's statutes are becoming a moat rather than a framework. For a sport that prides itself on meritocracy and competition, the contrast with how F1's governing body picks its own leadership is stark. With term limits gone and age caps next, the question isn't whether Ben Sulayem can stay in office—it's whether anyone will ever get the chance to run against him.