Mayer’s declaration isn’t your typical “time for change” political fluff. This is surgical precision, targeting every supposed achievement of Ben Sulayem’s tenure and reducing them to expensive illusions. The 59-year-old American didn’t mince words: the current FIA president promised transparency, delivered secrecy; promised governance reform, delivered power centralization; promised to be non-executive, became a one-man show.
From Steward to Challenger: Mayer’s Motorsport Pedigree
Unlike typical political outsiders throwing their helmets into the ring, Mayer brings 34 years of motorsport DNA to this fight. His resume reads like a greatest hits album of racing leadership – from IndyCar beginnings to becoming senior vice president of racing for Champ Car, then chief operating officer of IMSA.
The man has been everywhere motorsport matters. Fifteen years as an F1 steward, deputy on the World Motorsport Council for 16 years, and hands-on experience across rally cross, sports cars, touring cars, and Formula E. When Mayer talks about understanding what it takes to lead a global organization, he’s not reading from a political playbook – he’s lived it.
- Organized thousands of marshals and officials at 19 Formula 1 Grand Prix
- Served as ASN director since 1998
- Worked as deputy to FIA Senate President Nick Crawl since 2009
- Oversaw operations across North America, South America, Asia, and Europe
Ben Sulayem’s Reign: Promise vs. Reality Check
Mayer didn’t just criticize – he performed an autopsy on Ben Sulayem’s presidency that left no sacred cow standing. The promised transparency? Replaced by centralized decision-making. The governance reforms? Turned into power grabs disguised as modernization.
“Mohammed Ben Sulayem made promises three and a half years ago that were good ideas,” Mayer explained, his tone suggesting disappointment rather than political opportunism. “He hasn’t delivered on those ideas. In fact, it has been quite the opposite.”
The Exodus That Speaks Volumes
When talent flees an organization faster than drivers escaping a burning cockpit, there’s usually fire beneath all that smoke. The FIA has become a revolving door for top talent, attracting brilliant minds only to send them packing when they dare speak truth to power.
Mayer’s own departure tells this story perfectly. After 15 years as a steward, he found himself sacked via text message following his involvement in a hearing about a United States Grand Prix promoter fine. The reason? Ben Sulayem felt some documentation presented a “personal attack on him.” File this under: Leadership fragility at its finest.
The Driver Relationship Disaster
If you want to measure an FIA president’s effectiveness, look at how drivers respond to their leadership. Ben Sulayem’s approach to driver relations makes diplomatic ice ages look warm and fuzzy. His crusade against driver swearing turned into a public relations nightmare that exposed fundamental misunderstanding of stakeholder management.
Mayer’s approach couldn’t be more different: “You must understand drivers are the core, they are the stars of our sports. You need to partner with them, nurture the relationships, that is when we see the sport thrive.” Revolutionary concept – treating elite athletes like the professionals they are.
The Swearing Saga: A Case Study in Tone-Deafness
When your biggest controversy involves policing grown adults’ language choices, you’ve probably lost the plot. Ben Sulayem’s war on driver swearing showcased everything wrong with his leadership style – autocratic, disconnected from reality, and treating world-class athletes like children in need of correction.
Mayer’s response cuts straight to the bone: “No-one is a child, these people are at the peak of their careers and need to be treated with dignity and respect.” Somewhere, a basics-of-leadership manual just started crying.
The Power Grab Playbook
Mayer identified the most insidious aspect of Ben Sulayem’s tenure – death by a thousand statute changes. Each individual modification might seem reasonable, even progressive. Taken together, they represent a systematic power grab that would make authoritarians jealous.
“Many people have missed that in the individual statute changes; they might be seen as being about integrity or modernising but take all of them together and you can clearly see it is about putting more and more power into the office of one man,” Mayer observed, delivering political analysis sharper than a fresh set of qualifying tires.
Democracy Under Siege
The World Motorsport Council members being told they can’t discuss meetings with members and clubs? That’s not governance – that’s information control worthy of a totalitarian regime. Mayer promises to restore genuine democracy where debate isn’t just allowed but encouraged as the foundation of good decision-making.
Critical issues handled through short-notice electronic votes with no opportunity for debate represent choreography masquerading as democracy. When governance becomes performance art, the organization’s soul dies a slow, bureaucratic death.
Grassroots vs. Championship Glamour
While Ben Sulayem focuses on high-profile Formula 1 controversies, Mayer remembers the woman from an African ASN struggling to find $5 for bus fare to bring marshals to the track. This story has haunted him for years and represents everything the FIA should prioritize but consistently ignores.
“That’s grassroots, not Formula 4, not million-dollar karting. It’s the club scraping together funds for their first autocross track,” Mayer explained, his passion evident. While others chase headlines, he’s focused on foundations.
- Clear rules accessible to all club levels
- Structured training for clubs, drivers, teams, and officials
- Breaking down barriers for emerging countries and underserved communities
- Supporting basic club functions like roadside assistance and licensing
The December Showdown
Despite 36 automobile clubs signing a support letter for Ben Sulayem, Mayer isn’t intimidated by political theater. His response? “When a letter is shoved under your nose and you are told ‘sign this, or else’ anyone is going to sign it.”
The real test comes in December when actual votes matter more than manufactured endorsements. Mayer’s strategy involves going door-to-door, earning trust the old-fashioned way – through honest conversation and genuine commitment to change.
His campaign motto “FIA Forward” isn’t just clever branding – it’s a promise to drive the organization toward genuine partnership, respected officiating, and stakeholder dignity. Whether motorsport’s governing body chooses evolution or revolution remains December’s biggest question mark.
