Former rally driver Mohamed Ben Sulayem has been elected as the new president of the FIA

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA, its acronym in French) on Friday held the elections that defined the new management of the world’s main motorsport regulator. Mohammed bin Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates, was elected as a new president to succeed French Jean Todt after 12 years.

Todd completed his third and final term as FIA president this year, the maximum allowed by the FIA’s bylaws, and will now hand motorsports leadership to the 60-year-old Slim after the election in the General Assembly, in which he defeated Graham Stocker. who was the status candidate, vice president of sports for Todd’s administration and received 61.6% of the vote.

A Twitter post from the former rally driver’s team stated that everyone is excited to build a stronger FIA. “We are pleased that 62% of all clubs voted for us. We are really proud. Your support will help us build a stronger association,” the post said.

The Emirati had a long career as a rally driver, winning 14 times in the FIA-sanctioned Middle East Rally Championship, before moving from cars to management positions. He was the first Arab to be elected to the FIA’s World Motorsport Council, and previously held the position of Vice President of Sports for the FIA.

In 2009, Saleem also oversaw the addition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, United Arab Emirates, to the Formula 1 calendar, in addition to its first edition.

His election represents an unprecedented moment in the history of the FIA, being the first non-European person to take first place and have the support of important national federations in his campaign, such as the United Kingdom.

Slim felt there was a need to expand the sport, make it more accessible around the world, and encourage regional tournaments that help bring young talent into the races. “My intention is to create better and more accessible trails for younger riders,” he told Motosport.com in July. “This is change. You can’t just repeat what the previous president did, because it won’t work. The challenges are different.”