Laura Villars starts legal action against FIA over election for president

Villars told BBC Sport: “This procedure aims to ensure that the FIA’s upcoming presidential election, currently set for 12 December 2025, complies with the organisation’s own statutes and with fundamental democratic principles.

“The legal action is grounded on Article 1.3 of the FIA statutes, which commits the FIA to ‘respect the highest standards of governance, transparency and democracy’, and on the fact that the FIA is a French-law association headquartered in Paris, thus subject to French jurisdiction.

“This step is neither hostile nor political – it is a responsible and constructive initiative to safeguard transparency, ethics and pluralism within global motorsport governance.

“As I have stated publicly, I am not acting against the FIA. I am acting to protect it. Democracy is not a threat to the FIA; it is its strength.”

The FIA has been contacted for comment.

Villars said the court had invited both parties to a mediation meeting and that she would attend it “in a spirit of openness and good faith”.

“I will go to this mediation hearing with the same attitude I have maintained from the beginning – calm, openness, and determination,” she said.

“I hope it will finally lead to a sincere dialogue in the service of a FIA that is more modern, fair, and connected to its members.

“I have twice tried to open a constructive dialogue with the FIA on essential matters such as internal democracy and the transparency of electoral rules. The responses received were not up to the challenge.”

Villars’ barrister, Robin Binsard, said: “We have obtained authorisation for an hour-to-hour emergency summons, which demonstrates that the court is taking seriously the serious democratic failings within the FIA, as well as several violations of its statutes and regulations that we have denounced.”