Parc Ferme: Formula 1’s December Hustings

The current incumbent, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is seeking his second term. However, to date, only one other person is contesting the position.

Some in the establishment find Ben Sulayem’s re-election an anathema, claiming that under his leadership, the FIA has become less transparent rather than more. However, it’s worth considering what he has achieved during his tenure.

Prior to the election of the fourteen-time Middle East Rally Champion, the FIA was a bit of a “Sleepy Hollow”. Détente between Formula One Management (FOM) and FIA reigned supreme; whatever FOM wanted, the FIA agreed. There was only one entity driving the Formula 1 bus.

This all changed with the election of the FIA’s current President. His platform was essentially three points: FIA for its members, transparency in governance, and making motorsport accessible to more regions.

Of the three, the first can be understood to mean a bigger share of the F1 income, the second is definitely a fail. And the last depends on how you interpret it: on an individual basis, it is not really possible since motor racing has always been and remains a rich man's hobby.

However, outside of F1’s political cauldron, nobody cares if he’s missed stated goals. From Parc Ferme’s perspective, and probably anyone interested in the sporting side of F1, Ben Sulayem is doing a great job.

First up, after years of trying to define track limits and flawed judgment of officials, the sensible solution has been applied, or should we say re-applied.

The return of gravel at the edge of the track represented the restoration of sanity. The administering of justice to those who can’t keep it on the black stuff has been returned to nature.

Whether the President had a hand in getting this done I don’t know, but since it happened under his watch, he gets the credit.

Additional cars on the grid can only be a good thing for the racing and, subsequently, the fans. For years, Fort FOM, has acted like a corporate condom, aborting the entry of new entrants to appease the teams and consequently, avoiding having to share more of their share of the F1 income with them.

Now we have one new entry into the fray in 2026 in the shape of Cadillac, and Parc Ferme is confident we will see another before long.

The President has valiantly led from the front here, and whilst he may have lost some soldiers on the way (Team Andretti). There is no doubt he had a significant hand in this, and thanks to him, we now have two more cars on the grid.

I suspect it will also have improved the FIA’s bank balance, too, but hey, why not?

F1’s lemming-like march in the direction of mixed battery and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) power units has only served to spoil the sport.

It necessitates bigger, heavier cars that are optimized for manufacturer experimentation and testing at the expense of racing.

The new rules for 2026, by all indications, require the drivers to excel more at mental arithmetic than car control.

The President was the first senior figure to step over the line and support the return of naturally aspirated ICEs.

FOM have now followed his lead in making conciliatory noises to the idea. However, once again, it was Ben Sulayem who, to Parc Ferme’s knowledge, was the first to articulate this idea.

Whatever happens in December is beyond our control, but Parc Ferme would be very happy to see him return to the helm.

You may not like how he goes about things or that his manifesto to get elected has fallen short. To make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs.

For Parc Ferme, that omelette has been pretty tasty to date. Vive le President!