A New FIA Presidential Candidate Has Emerged
Carlos Sainz Sr. is gauging interest ahead of a potential run at the position this December - presumably against current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The Morning Warmup
May 9, 2025
Good morning, race fans! Happy Friday.
Formula 1 isn’t racing this weekend, but the series has a stranglehold on the headlines heading into it. From Alpine’s shaky week to FIA presidential chatter, the series has plenty of new to carry it through the off week.
Elsewhere, NASCAR is rolling into one of the sport’s lowkey-best tracks (Kansas Speedway) and IndyCar has arrived at the Brickyard to kick off the Month of May.
It’s a good time to be a race fan. Now let’s talk a little FIA politics.
Today’s Top Stories
1) Carlos Sainz Sr. mulling FIA presidential run (FIA)
FIA leader Mohammed Ben Sulayem may have a challenge for his presidency this December.
In a talk with Motorsport’s Rebecca Clancy, two-time World Rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. admitted that he’s considering a run for the FIA presidency this fall. The 63-year-old, who still competes and is also the father of Williams F1 competitor Carlos Sainz Jr., said the thought of running has crossed his mind before.
“This possibility (of being president) has been in my mind for some time now, not very deeply, but now I think it could be the right time in my career for me to take the step. I’m confident I can do a good job and put together an excellent team to give back to the sport part of what it has given me.
“I have accumulated a lot of experience in this sport throughout the years and I’m certain I can bring new and interesting things, to strengthen and develop the sport and the automobile world.”
Asked if he would have a conflict of interest with his son competing in F1, Sainz said “I have my track record and people know me well enough to understand that this will not be an issue. Obviously, I will have to step down regarding my role with Carlos and his career but this is not an issue at all.
“He's not a child anymore, he has been in F1 for a decade now and we both know that if I go ahead with this project our relationship will change, of course. The FIA is a very serious entity and there will be no conflict.”
Ben Sulayem took over as FIA president at the end of 2021, replacing Jean Todt after the latter completed a 12-year tenure in the position. His time as president has been controversial, with a significant number of departures in senior leadership, erosion of trust and criticism of the organization’s practices and rule changes under his tenure - particularly the oft-derided swearing ban.
The Emirati is a former Rally competitor himself, having won 14 titles in the Middle East Rally Championship and competed in the World Rally Championship for a stint in the early 1990s. He’s yet to confirm plans to run for a second term, but is expected to do so.
Should that happen, Sainz would be a challenging foe. The BBC’s Andrew Benson noted that Sainz is “widely regarded as a man of seriousness and integrity” and someone sources considered “a consequential candidate (that) would have widespread support from within the sport.”
Sainz himself vowed to listen to his contemporaries and involve everyone within the sport to improve the governing body’s relationship with its racing tours.
“I have been on the other side of motorsport and I know how important it is to listen to everybody - drivers, teams, fans, organizers, promoters, social, manufacturers. I truly think I can make that relationship much smoother and stronger,” he said.
“I would like to see the future of the FIA as an entity that is really appreciated and respected by everybody.”
(Source(s): Rebecca Clancy / Motorsport, Andrew Benson / BBC)
A few relevant stories:
Motorsport’s Jake Boxall-Legge took a deeper look at Sainz as he becomes a potential presidential candidate.
2) Alpine swaps Colapinto and Doohan for five-race trial (F1)
In Wednesday’s edition of this newsletter, I pointed out that Alpine was reportedly considering ousting Jack Doohan in favor of Franco Colapinto.
Around the time the newsletter was set to release, Alpine made it official.
The F1 team officially changed its driver lineup on Wednesday morning, saying Colapinto will be “paired with Pierre Gasly from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, ahead of a new evaluation before the British Grand Prix in July.”
That gives Colapinto five races to prove his worth in a car that has failed to score points through seven races with Doohan at the helm. The rookie had a best finish of 13th and crashed out on the second lap of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
Doohan, son of motorcycle great Mick Doohan, arrived at Alpine for the final race of 2024, after the team elected to part ways with now-Haas driver Esteban Ocon one week early. He was announced for the ride in August, but was thrust into the hot seat when Colapinto was brought on as a reserve driver in January. The Argentine had replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams in the latter half of the prior season, earning five points and impressing onlookers at times over the year’s final four months.
Alpine currently sits ninth in the constructors championship and finds itself in a period of change after parting ways with team principal Oliver Oakes a day before the Doohan decision was made. Oakes had dismissed talk of a change early in the Miami weekend.
The once-banned Flavio Briatore will take over Oakes’ duties while continuing to serve as executive advisor. It’s a controversial move - The Race’s Edd Straw pointed at Briatore’s return as the moment Renault eroded the final bit of its F1 credibility.
(Source(s): Associated Press, Edd Straw / The Race)
Additional stories on a chaotic week for Alpine:
What exactly is going on? (Chris Medland / RACER)
Oakes’ resignation came days after his brother, William, was arrested in England. (Chris Medland / RACER)
Points leader Oscar Piastri has come to Doohan’s defense, saying he can be proud and showing support for his fellow Australian. (F1.com)
News and Notes
NASCAR
You can always depend on change in the fast-moving sport of NASCAR. So what will be next? (Dustin Long / NBC Sports)
Homestead-Miami Speedway is planning venue upgrades ahead of its return as host of the championship race. (Nick DeGroot / Motorsport)
Ross Chastain was this week’s guest on the “12 Questions” series, talking about everything from his pack-blocking move at Talladega to his frequent flyer status. (Jeff Gluck / The Athletic)
With the second season of “Full Speed” out, The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck took some time to watch the season and review it. It was a season that felt lacking compared to the first - but that may have been a product of how the playoffs themselves played out.
Ever wonder what Sim sessions look like? This gives a good peak behind the curtain:
IndyCar
Longtime F1 ladder system member Juan Manuel Correa has switched to Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports. (IndyNXT.com)
I won’t overly-explain, but I encourage you to check out this open letter to IndyCar owner Roger Penske from RACER’s Marshall Pruett.
A new double-use tire rule could cause a shakeup this weekend in Indy - or perhaps it won’t, given the race’s usual stop amount. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Pit road caused issues for numerous teams at Barber Motorsports Park. It’s a common issue at the facility. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
IndyCar and FOX have dropped the trailer for “INDYCAR: Anything to Win.”
F1
Modern F1 rules have forced drivers to emphasize keeping the inside lane at all costs - something Max Verstappen suggests no longer makes the racing feel “natural.” (Jon Noble / The Race)
McLaren’s rivals know about its tire advantage in hot races, but there were other less-known reasons that also factored into its beatdown of the field in Miami. (Jon Noble / The Race)
Miami was filled with radio calls urging teammates to hold pace, swap positions or other side accommodate their friendly rivals on-track. It’s the latest chapter in a complex history for the sport with team orders. (Jake Boxall-Legge & Owen Bellwood / Motorsport)
Lewis Hamilton had a difficult weekend in Miami, but he watched on proudly when Mercedes and Andrea Kimi Antonelli found early success. (F1.com)
F1 great Nigel Mansell is set to attend the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of this year’s F1 75 celebrations. (Lydia Mee / Motorsport)
McLaren CEO Zak Brown plans to take one of Mansell’s 1987 Williams FW11B cars for a spin at Silverstone Circuit during the British Grand Prix race weekend. (Lydia Mee / Motorsport)
Sports Cars
There’s much to love about endurance racing - enough that it’s become the primary home for rejected F1 talent. (Thibaut Villemant / The Race)
With the tender process drawing to a close, the next-gen LMP2 car has been drawn into the spotlight. (Daily Sportscar)
Dinamic GT haș announced plans to field a Pro-class Porsche entry at the upcoming 24 Hours of Spa. (Daily Sportscar)
With its new headquarters revealed and plans explained, Team WRT is ready to hit the ground running at its home track. (Stephen Kilbey / RACER)
Supercars
Will Brown’s escape from disqualification in New Zealand has led to a Supercars pit road crackdown at the Tasmania Super440. (Stefan Bartholomaeus / Speedcafe)
Dirt
NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney has joined the ownership group alongside his father, Dave, at Sharon Speedway. (Lee Spencer / FloRacing)
Rain scuppered plans for Wednesday’s High Limit Racing event at 81 Speedway. (HighLimitRacing.com )
The headlines keep popping up. Is Josh Richards planning a Dirt Late Model return? (Kevin Kovac / FloRacing)
Short Tracks
Ryan Newman is set to pilot the ‘Mystic Missile’ - an iconic Modified machine - in the upcoming Whelen Modified Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (Rob Blount / FloRacing)
Moto
KTM’s Pedro Acosta has been confirmed fit for the French Grand Prix after his recent surgery. (Richard Asher / Motorsport)
Samkiat Chantra is less fortunate. He’ll miss the race after receiving surgery for arm pump. (Oriol Puigdemont / Motorsport)
So… Why doesn’t MotoGP run the full Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans? (Jonathon Klein / Motorsport)
The Isle of Man TT is one of worldwide motorsport’s most iconic events, with over 100 years of history. But with a dwindling pool of talent, the event’s working on plans to build its next generation of riders. (Megan White / The Race)
Michael Dunlop has revealed his bike for the 2025 road racing season, shockingly ditching Honda for a switch to BMW. (Simon Patterson / The Race)
Ai Ogura’s MotoGP success has been well-documented this season. Teammate Raul Fernandez’s comparable struggled have been less emphasized, but catastrophic to his career. (Valentin Khorounzhiy & Simon Patterson / The Race)
Drag Racing
The IHRA has confirmed the purchase of Kil-Kare Raceway in Ohio. (Drag Illustrated)
Rally
In an effort to improve the fan experience, the FIA World Rally Championship is planning infrastructure changes for its service parks this year. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)
Electric Racing
AI already has significant impact in motorsports - just look at Mahindra in Formula E. (Dominik Wilde / RACER)
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On Track
All Times ET
Friday, May 9
NASCAR
At Kansas Speedway
ARCA Menards Series Tide 150: 8:00 p.m., FS1/MRN
IndyCar
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course)
USF2000/USF Pro 2000 Qualifying: 7:55 a.m., USF Pro Championships on YouTube
IndyCar Practice 1: 9:30 a.m., FS2
Indy NXT Practice: 11:00 a.m., FS2
USF2000 Race 1: 11:55 a.m., USF Pro Championships on YouTube
IndyCar Practice 2: 1:00 p.m., FS2
Indy NXT Qualifying: 2:30 p.m., FS2
USF Pro 2000 Race 1: 3:05 p.m., USF Pro Championships on YouTube
IndyCar Qualifying: 4:30 p.m., FS1
Indy NXT Race 1: 7:00 p.m., FS1
Supercars
At Symmons Plains Raceway
Supercars Race 11 Qualifying: 7:05 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Race 12 Qualifying: 7:55 p.m., SuperView
Super 2 Qualifying : 8:40 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Race 11: 10:05 p.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
At Spa-Francorchamps
FIA World Endurance Championship Qualifying: 8:30 a.m., Max
Dirt
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars: 6:45 p.m., DirtVision
High Limit Racing (Lakeside Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
USAC Larry Rice Classic (Bloomington Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
Lucas Oil Late Models (Farmer City Raceway): 7:15 p.m., FloRacing
Xtreme Outlaw Midgets (Humboldt Speedway): 8:15 p.m., DirtVision
Weekly Racing (Attica Raceway Park): 6:30 p.m., DirtVision
Spring Nationals (Rockcastle Speedway): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Jacksonville Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
Race of Champions Dirt Sportsman Modifies (Oshweken Speedway): 7:30 p.m., Racing America
Weekly Racing (Utica-Rome Speedway): TBD, FloRacing
Short Tracks
Weekly Racing (Stafford Motor Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
-
Saturday, May 10
NASCAR
At Kansas Speedway
Truck Series Practice: 2:05 p.m., FS2
Truck Series Qualifying: 3:10 p.m., FS2
Cup Series Practice: 4:30 p.m., Prime Video
Cup Series Qualifying: 5:40 p.m., Prime Video
Truck Series Heart of Health Care 200: 7:30 p.m., Prime Video
IndyCar
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course)
USF2000/USF Pro 2000 Race 2: 9:15 a.m., USF Pro Championships on YouTube
IndyCar Warmup: 11:30 a.m., FS1
Indy NXT Race 2: 1:00 p.m., FS1
IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix: 4:30 p.m., FOX
Supercars
At Symmons Plains Raceway
Super2 Race 2: 12:30 a.m., SuperView
Supercars Race 12: 1:55 a.m., SuperView
Super2 Qualifying: 7:00 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Race 13 Qualifying: 7:35 p.m., SuperView
Super2 Top 5 Shootout: 8:55 p.m., SuperView
Supercars Top 10 Shootout: 9:55 p.m., SuperView
Super2 Race 4: 10:40 p.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
At Spa-Francorchamps
FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: 7:30 a.m., Max
At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Mustang Challenge Race 1: 11:50 a.m., Peacock
Michelin Pilot Challenge WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120: 3:45 p.m., Peacock
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying: 6:15 p.m., Peacock
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 1: 7:45 p.m., Peacock
At the Nurburgring
ADAC NLS3: 5:15 a.m., Motorsport.tv
At Circuito San Juan Villicum
TCR South America Qualifying: 3:00 p.m., Motorsport.tv
Dirt
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars (Williams Grove Speedway): 6:45 p.m., DirtVision
High Limit Racing (Tri-City Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Lucas Oil Late Models (Fairbury American Legion Speedway): 6:15 p.m., FloRacing
USAC National Sprints (Tri-State Speedway): 6:45 p.m., FlORacing
Xtreme Outlaw Midgets (81 Speedway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
American Sprint Car Series (Paducah International Raceway): 7:15 p.m., DirtVision
Spring Nationals (Lake Cumberland Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Land of Legends Raceway): 6:15 p.m., DirtVision
Weekly Racing (Sharon Speedway): 6:30 p.m., DirtVision
IRA Sprints (Sycamore Speedway): 6:30 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Knoxville Raceway): 7:30 p.m., DirtVision
NARC 410 Sprints (Antioch Speedway): 8:30 p.m., FloRacing
Modified Twin 20s (Fonda Speedway): TBD, FloRacing
IMCA Weekly Racing (141 Speedway): TBD, FloRacing
Short Tracks
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (Riverhead Raceway): 4:20 p.m., FloRacing
CARS Tour West (All American Speedway): 8:00 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Berlin Raceway): 3:30 p.m., FloRacing
Race of Champions Modifieds (Chemung Speedrome): 6:00 p.m., Racing America
Outlaw Late Models (Midvale Speedway): 6:00 p.m., Racing America
NASCAR Season Opener (Jennerstown Speedway): 6:20 p.m., FloRacing
Vore’s Compact Touring Series (Ona Speedway): 6:30 p.m., Racing America
NASCAR Weekly Racing (South Boston Speedway): 6:45 p.m., FloRacing
NASCAR Weekly Racing (Hickory Motor Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
Late Model Twins (Langley Speedway): 7:00 p.m., FloRacing
JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour (Anderson Speedway): 7:30 p.m., Racing America
Modified Twin 25s (Bowman Gray Stadium): 7:45 p.m., FloRacing
Moto
MotoGP Le Mans Sprint Race (Le Mans): 9:00 a.m., FS2
Monster Energy Supercross (Salt Lake City): 7:00 p.m., Peacock
-
Sunday, May 11
NASCAR
At Kansas Speedway
Cup Series AdventHealth 400: 3:00 p.m., FS1/MRN
Supercars
At Symmons Plains Raceway
Supercars Race 13: 12:45 a.m., SuperView
Sports Cars
At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Mustang Challenge Race 2: 11:25 a.m., Peacock
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 2: 12:35 p.m., Peacock
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship TireRack.com Monterey SportsCar Championship: 3:10 p.m., NBC/Peacock
At Circuito San Juan Villicum
TCR South America Race 1: 8:00 a.m., Motorsport.tv
TCR South America Race 2: 11:30 a.m., Motorsport.tv
Dirt
Weekly Racing (Huset’s Speedway): 7:30 p.m., DirtVision
Short Tracks
American-Canadian Tour/PASS Late Models (Star Speedway): 1:15 p.m., Racing America
Moto
MotoGP Michelin Grand Prix de France (Le Mans): 7:30 a.m., FS2
Number of the Day: 3
The NTT IndyCar Series has gone three-straight races without a caution - and nearly four, given that the season’s only caution came on the first lap of the St. Petersburg season-opener. You have to go all the way back to 1986 to find a similar stretch for the series, and it ended at three races as the only similar stretch in modern IndyCar. So this weekend’s race in Indianapolis will have a chance at some surprising series history.