Fourteen times Middle East Rally Champion, Mohamed Ben Sulayem took over as the new FIA President replacing Jean Todt.
He was elected during the FIA General Assembly on December 17. Sulayem replaces Jean Todt, who has served as the head of the World Motor Sports Governing Body for the past 12 years.
Prior to his election, Sulayem was the Deputy President of the FIA (Sport) representing the United Arab Emirates.
Ben Sulayem has been campaigning for several months as the non-establishment candidate against Stoker who was Todt’s right hand man.
He was president of the sporting organisers of the race on Yas Island, which since 2014 has played host to the season-finale.
In his manifesto, he promised an outside audit of the governance, and an evaluation of finances plus budget reports and transparency over their finances.
The most important task facing incoming president Mohammed ben Sulayem is the need to rebuild trust between Mercedes/Lewis Hamilton and the FIA itself.
He is a 14-time FIA Middle-East Rally champion, hitting his peak in the late 1980s, continuing it through the 1990s.
Sulayem’s 14 titles came between 1986 and 2002 – only failing to claim the title in 1992, 1993 and 1995.