The FIA - a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma?
Motorsport's global governing body just announced a return to profitability, yet it is haemorrhaging senior staff
In 1939, Winston Churchill used the phrase “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” to describe a situation, characterised by conflicting signs and rapid change, that was difficult to comprehend.
The quote remains appropriate today, certainly when trying to understand what is happening at the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport’s global governing body.
Following the election in 2022 of a new president - Mohammed Ben Sulayem, an Emirati - the FIA has achieved a financial turnaround.
In 2024, the organisation generated revenue of €182 million ($205.4 million), up €26.7 million (17%) on the 2023 fiscal year, producing a profit of €4.7 million.
It also remains debt-free, with a “healthy” equity to assets ratio of 45%.
This all comes after five consecutive years (2019-2023) during which the FIA made annual operating losses each year.
However, in April 2025 the FIA’s deputy president - Robert Reid - quit his post over what he has he described as a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within motorsport's global governing body.
Reid said in a statement:
"[I have] growing alarm over critical decisions being made without due process or proper consultation…over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold…decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to present."
But, there have also been other recent resignations from the FIA including Natalie Robyn, Director General; Steve Nielsen, F1 Sporting Director; and Tim Goss, Single Seater Technical Director; Luke Skipper, Director of Communication;, and Jacob Bangsgaard, Secretary General of Mobility.
Relations between the FIA and F1 drivers have also been fractious; during the early stages of Bin Sulayem’s presidency, he criticised the likes of Lewis Hamilton for their imposing of beliefs on LGBTQ rights, human rights and mental health.
More recently, there has been controversy about drivers swearing and the penalties imposed upon them for doing so.
One interpretation of what has happened recently at the FIA is that it is simply the cut and thrust of sports governance.
However, critics are genuinely concerned that principles of good sport governance are being undermined.
There is also a sense too of there being a clash of ideologies, values and cultures amid a pivot from Global North to Global South.
Before Bin Sulayem’s ascent to the presidency, every other president of the FIA (established in 1904) had been European, indeed its HQ continues to be in Paris.
Perhaps the world is changing and that what is accompanying it may be unpalatable for some.
The situation could change; in December 2025, the next presidential election will take place, with Spain’s Carlos Sainz Sr emerging as rival candidate to Bin Sulayem.
With uncertainty ahead - at least for the time being - it therefore appears that the FIA will continue to be a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.