Laura Villars fires opening shot in FIA presidential race with sweeping reform plan and “Zero Death by 2035” pledge
Laura Villars has wasted no time turning her FIA presidential bid into a manifesto. In a letter sent to member clubs this week, the 28-year-old candidate laid out a concise set of promises heavy on transparency, inclusion and measurable targets — the kind that invite scrutiny and, frankly, attention.
Villars, who last week became the first woman to enter the FIA presidential race, joins incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem and long-time administrator Tim Mayer on the December ballot. Her pitch to the clubs runs on five pillars: independent and transparent governance, support for all clubs, accessible and inclusive motorsport, concrete impact in mobility and tourism, and a lasting legacy. It’s a tidy list — and backed by some head-turning numbers.
Front and center is a “Zero Death by 2035” commitment on the mobility side, paired with the launch of Smart Mobility Grants (100 projects in three years), converting the FIA–UNWTO memorandum of understanding into a funded action plan for tourism initiatives, and rolling out a universal digital card for mobility services. She also says she’ll make the FIA carbon-neutral by 2030 — a target the federation had previously set and one that comes with history, including this year’s internal restructuring and the departure of sustainability lead Sara Mariana, whose parting words about women in leadership still echo around Place de la Concorde.
If Villars’ headline goals lean bold, her fine print is aimed squarely at the FIA’s machinery. She describes current governance as “technical, opaque, and dependent on the executive,” and promises to reshape it by creating an Audit Committee elected by the General Assembly and granting the Senate its own autonomous budget. In other words: more checks, fewer black boxes.
On participation, Villars makes her pitch as a generational shift. “At 28, as a racing driver and entrepreneur, I represent a new generation,” she tells the clubs in her “Profession of Faith.” The plan includes a Women in Motorsport Fund offering 20 annual scholarships, a Young Leaders Academy to train 25 talents per year worldwide, and co‑financing mechanisms designed to cut grassroots entry costs by at least 20% within three years. It’s an unapologetically practical take on initiatives that — as she puts it — have sometimes remained “symbolic, limited in scope, or accessible only to a few.”
Her language is deliberately inclusive. “The FIA is our common home. I have belonged to it all my life, both as a racing driver and as a member of mobility clubs,” Villars writes. The message is clear: this isn’t a motorsport-only agenda. It’s a split-screen campaign that speaks to ASN bosses, mobility clubs and mixed organisations alike — the full breadth of the FIA’s 245-strong membership.
The politics now kick in. Villars has until October 24 to submit her “List,” the slate of officials who would join her leadership team if elected. That list must be geographically balanced — one representative from each region and two from Europe — and she’ll need 18 formal endorsements to validate her candidacy: six Sporting, six Mobility and six Mixed clubs. It’s the kind of choreography that rewards relationships and speed, and it means her first test isn’t a debate — it’s a numbers game.
There’s also the matter of tone. Villars acknowledges recent progress, namechecking the likes of Susie Wolff as part of a wider shift, but doesn’t hide her frustration with inertia. “My candidacy is not about ignoring the past, but about taking the next step: consolidating what already exists, amplifying what is still symbolic, and creating what is missing,” she writes. It’s respectful, with a nudge.
For F1 watchers, the subtext is simple enough. The FIA presidency sets the rhythm for governance at the top of the sport — how fast decisions move, how transparent they are, and how the federation balances its dual identity across racing, mobility and tourism. Ben Sulayem’s stance is well known. Mayer’s platform has centered on strengthening process. Villars is trying to cut a lane between them: youthful, reform-minded, and heavy on deliverables you can put on a timeline.
“The choice now belongs to the clubs,” she adds in her note. “They have the power to ensure real democratic competition and open the FIA to the future.” The campaign proper begins with that call to action — and with it, the promise of a fuller programme in the coming weeks.
Big pledges, a compressed calendar, and a membership that likes to kick the tyres before it buys. Villars wanted a headline. She’s got a handful. Now comes the harder part: turning intention into endorsements.
