Who is Laura Villars? All about the first-ever woman to run for FIA presidency 

Laura Villars, a 28-year-old Swiss racing driver and entrepreneur, has announced her intention to run for Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president ahead of the December 2025 vote in Tashkent. If she files the required paperwork by the October 24 deadline and her presidential list is validated, Villars would become the first woman to contest the FIA’s top job.

Laura Villars was born on 29 August 1997 in Switzerland and started in motorsport as a teenager. She has 58 race starts across junior and sports-car categories, including the Ultimate Cup Series F3R (2023), F4 UAE (Abu Dhabi, 2023), and F4 Saudi Arabia (2024), and the Ferrari Challenge Europe (2024, Trofeo Pirelli AM / Ladies Trophy). She currently competes in the Ligier European Series JS P4 with Team Virage.

Villars is also an entrepreneur. She has a Bachelor’s in Business Management, and is the CEO of two companies she founded (back in 2021). She blends a racing resume with business experience and positions herself publicly as an advocate for women and youth in motorsport.

In announcing her bid, Villars said (via Newswire):

"The FIA must once again be the federation of clubs and licence holders. My ambition is a governance that is more democratic, more transparent, more responsible, and open to women and new generations. I strongly believe that motorsport needs diversity and innovation to keep inspiring younger generations worldwide."

At the time of Laura Villars' announcement, an FIA spokesperson told media the federation had not yet received any official candidacy application - an administrative step required to appear on the December ballot.

Laura Villars' agenda and how the FIA election works

(L-R) FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem, Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Source: Getty

Laura Villars has published a short, focused platform that hits five headline areas:

1. Empower clubs with regular consultations and more participatory governance so member clubs and licence holders have a stronger voice.
2. Increasing transparency in finance reporting and decision-making across the organisation.
3. FIA Eco-Performance label, a scheme to recognise sustainability leadership among events, teams, and manufacturers.
4. Expanding Women in Motorsport programmes (Girls on Track, F1 Academy) and creating an FIA Young Leaders Academy for the youth.
5. Positioning FIA as a global benchmark for sustainable mobility and safer roads.

How the FIA presidential process works:

• Candidates must file a Presidential List and supporting documents between October 3 and 24. This list isn’t just a single name. It includes a senate president, two deputy presidents (sport and automobile/mobility), and seven vice-presidents for sport (allocated regionally: MENA, Africa, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, and two for Europe).
• The FIA Nominations Committee checks compliance with eligibility rules during November. Only compliant presidential lists are put forward to the General Assembly.
• The final vote happens at the FIA General Assembly on 12 December 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Villars is running in a three-way field (incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Tim Mayer have also announced bids). Her pitch focuses on youth and diversity with governance and sustainability reforms in a bid to modernize the federation and re-engage clubs and licence-holders.

Laura Villars brings racing experience, business credentials, and a reform agenda to the elections. Whether she files and how the Nominations Committee rules will remain to be seen, but her candidacy has already injected a different tone into the FIA presidential race.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale