Table of Contents
- Carlos Sainz Sr, father to Williams driver Carlos Sainz will run for FIA Presidency
- He is challenging incumbent president Mohammed Ben Sulayem
- He is not worried that his presidency would be a conflict of interest in F1
Carlos Sainz Sr, father to Williams driver Carlos Sainz, is one of the big names in F1 running for the FIA presidency.
Sainz Sr seeks to oust incumbent FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in December 2025. The FIA General Assembly elections will be held on December 12, 2025, in Uzbekistan.
He says that he has a ‘special urge’ to serve F1 in a different capacity in his retirement as a Formula 1 driver.
Speaking to Autosport on Wednesday, he confirmed that there is a possibility he will challenge Sulayem in the December elections.
Carlos Sainz Sr FIA Presidency
At 63, Carlos Sainz Sr is convinced that running for the FIA Presidency is a properly informed choice. He explains that he has 40 years of experience on the ins and outs of Formula 1.
Sainz Sr believes that this experience is enough for him to transform F1, which has given him everything he desired in life.
He opines that this is the right time for him to run for the top motorsports seat. Sainz Sr has flirted with the FIA Presidency idea in the past but let it pass.
Carlos Sainz Sr will vie for FIA presidency in December 2025. Photo/The SportsRush
However, the urge is now bigger and deeper.
According to the two-time F1 champion, the time is right for him to take a leap of faith and throw himself into the ring come December.
Sky Sports revealed that Carlos Sainz Sr is a favourite among motorsports executives where the FIA has control. His campaign is centred on addressing F1 drivers’ concerns, mostly touching on misconduct penalties among other issues.
Conflict of Interest
With his son racing for Williams, there are questions about a conflict of Interest if he is elected the FIA president. His close circle within F1 described his integrity as ‘irreproachable’, adding that he is a hands-on person when it comes to dealing with issues affecting the welfare of motorsports.
Carlos Sainz Sr doesn’t think too much about the “imagined conflict of Interest”, noting that his son’s presence on the grid shouldn’t give any plausible reason to lock him out of the FIA presidency race.
He remarked that people know about his integrity. The 63-year-old added that all he will do if elected will be to step down from his role with his son as his manager.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz. Photo/Planet F1
Further, the Spaniard noted that Sainz Jnr is aware that if his father becomes the FIA President, several things will change in their professional relationship. Throwing a light moment, saying ‘he is not a kid anymore’, senior Sainz said his son can handle it all. After all, he has been in Formula One for a decade.
Is Mohammed Ben Sulayem Defending His FIA Presidency?
Sulayem will defend his seat after serving his first term since 2022. The Emirati, a former racing driver, hasn’t had it easy for the last three years he took office.
Although he has substantial support from FIA members, F1 drivers could campaign against him, a move informed by his decision to slap drivers swearing with exorbitant fines.
Mercedes driver George Russell is one of the biggest voices in calling for a review of the stiff fines imposed by Sulayem. He said that Carlos Sainz Sr should not only promise to review the fines downwards, but do it and not just ‘consider’ it, as he has said in the recent past.
Ferrari SF-25 in action. The 2025 model has unresolved technical issues. Photo/ESPN Africa
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has been critical about Sulayem’s decisions in the past. The Emirati failed to overturn Max Verstappen’s (Red Bull) 2021 F1 championship win after a controversial Abu Dhabi race. This denied Hamilton his eighth F1 World Championship victory.
Hamilton, echoing Russell’s point on driver swearing fines review, added that Sainz Sr’s manifesto should include giving F1 drivers a role in the FIA other than racing.
The 40-year-old British driver said having a seat at the table will address the welfare of Formula 1 drivers. Russell, who heads the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, tasked Sulayem to act on his statement about updating misconduct rules.
The FIA President came under fire after Williams driver Sainz was fined for coming in late during the anthem at the Japanese Grand Prix. This was despite suffering a stomach bout that required him to take a bathroom break.
His doctor also corroborated his claim to the FIA, stating that he had treated Sainz and given him medication for the stomach flu. Still, the FIA fined him, citing its misconduct handbook, which requires all F1 drivers to partake in the host country’s national anthem as a sign of respect.
