The FIA Proposes Changes to Limit Leadership Accountability

The FIA, motorsport’s governing body is proposing changes to its statutes that would limit its leadership’s accountability for bad governance. The FIA General Assembly will vote on these changes on 13 December which aim to modify the roles of the audit and ethics committees. If approved, the FIA president and the president of the senate will oversee ethics complaints replacing the senate’s oversight role. Additionally, the audit committee will lose its independent authority to investigate financial matters, significantly reducing financial transparency within the FIA.

These proposed changes follow a year of controversy including investigations into FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Allegations about misuse of funds, interference in Formula 1 events, and questionable governance practices were investigated but dismissed. As a result, several senior staff members including the CEO and audit committee members, left amid these controversies.

Furthermore, the revisions would centralize power by giving the FIA president control over appointing the ethics committee head and removing the compliance officer’s role in investigating or reporting irregularities. Additionally, the audit committee’s role in overseeing financial processes would significantly shrink with oversight now largely in the hands of the president of the senate.

Critics argue that these changes would undermine whistleblower protections and allow leadership to avoid scrutiny. Ultimately, observers view these alterations as a response to internal challenges at the FIA including staff departures and ongoing disputes about governance and financial issues. These changes would limit the power of the ethics and audit committees, consolidating decision-making within a smaller group of top officials.