VIRGINIE PHILLIPPOT & LAURA VILLARS Shake Up FIA Presidential Race Field

October 1, 2025

by Jack Oliver Smith // from www.motorsportweek.com

• Two women have jumped into the FIA presidential race, turning what could have been another old boys’ club election into something actually worth watching. LAURA VILLARS, a Swiss sports car driver and entrepreneur, announced her candidacy with a “new vision” and serious backing, while VIRGINIE PHILLIPPOT followed with a social media statement that cuts straight to the heart of motorsport’s diversity problem.
• PHILLIPPOT’s campaign message hits different than the usual political speak – “I’m running for the presidency of the FIA. Not to be the ‘first’ but to make sure I’m not the last.” The 33-year-old Belgian journalist brings motorsport media experience from hosting Red Bull events and covering F1 and WEC, plus the kind of outside perspective that might actually shake things up in the FIA’s traditionally stuffy corridors.
• What started as Mohammed Ben Sulayem potentially running unopposed has become a four-way race that finally reflects what modern motorsport should look like. With Tim Mayer already calling the current regime “tyranny,” these women candidates are bringing fresh energy and global perspectives to challenge an organization that’s been overdue for serious change.

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