FIA reinstated Russian official facing US, UK sanctions to World Motor Sport Council

A Russian official who remains subject to sanctions from the United States and the United Kingdom was reinstated to the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council earlier this year.

Since June 12, 2025, former Russian Automobile Federation president Viktor Kiryanov, 72, has been listed as a member of the WMSC, which is the most senior leadership group under the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The FIA is the governing body for Formula One, among other international motorsport categories.

Kiryanov was a member of the WMSC prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In response to that emerging conflict, the FIA made sweeping decisions, including requiring Russian and Belarusian members to step aside from their roles. It was unclear in March 2022 how long the temporary suspension would last, but no public announcement has been made on when a reversal would occur.

The inclusion of Kiryanov on the WMSC list followed an extraordinary meeting of the FIA General Assembly in Macau in early June, but no official communication over his reinstatement was made by the FIA, besides his inclusion on the updated list.

Kiryanov also remains subject to sanctions from Canada and Ukraine. He serves as the managing director of infrastructure projects for Rostec, a Russian state-owned company that creates a range of products, including military equipment, and is a member of the company’s board.

Under the UK’s sanctions against Russian individuals, Kiryanov is accused of being an “involved person” as he “is or has been involved in obtaining a benefit from or supporting the government or Russia” through Rostec, and is “carrying on business in a sector of strategic significance to the Government of Russia, namely the defence sector.”

Regarding the U.S. sanctions, Kiryanov is listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s sanctions list, a financial intelligence and enforcement agency within the Treasury Department. He fell under Executive Order 14024, which decrees sanctions that may be “imposed against individuals and entities furthering specified harmful foreign activities of the Russian Federation.”

Alongside his previous role as head of Russia’s motorsport federation between 2003 and 2024, Kiryanov also held a senior position in the Russian government as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, focusing on transport and mobility, until 2015. He was replaced as RAF president in 2024.

Kiryanov is not listed among the candidates eligible for the WMSC in the 2025 election, which takes place in December, meaning he will no longer be a member once the next FIA presidential term begins.

Kiryanov became a member of the WMSC in 2009 when Jean Todt, Ben Sulayem’s predecessor, was elected FIA president. Ben Sulayem previously engaged with Kiryanov during his time at the helm of the United Arab Emirates’ motorsport federation, which supported the RAF with training for officials ahead of the first F1 world championship race in Russia in 2014.

Kiryanov’s reinstatement comes despite the FIA still requiring Russian and Belarusian drivers to compete under a neutral flag. The FIA is also recognized by the International Olympic Committee, which still has a general ban in place on Russian athletes and officials. Kiryanov is listed as Russian on the WMSC member list.

In response to a series of questions about Kiryanov’s reinstatement, the FIA said in a statement to The Athletic: “In accordance with Article 1.2 of the FIA Statutes, the FIA is a politically neutral body, governed by a democratically elected Senate. Members of the World Motor Sport Council are elected and serve in an individual capacity.

“The FIA has a longstanding commitment to upholding motor sport’s neutrality. Its decision to allow all elected members, regardless of nationality, to continue serving their terms is in line with the approach of other international sports bodies.”

Kiryanov’s return to the WMSC also comes at a time when questions are being raised about the transparency of the FIA’s governance. Ben Sulayem is up for re-election and is set to run unopposed because of a rules quirk.

Each candidate must have a Presidential List that names seven vice presidents — one for the Middle East and North Africa, one for the rest of Africa, one for North America, one for South America, one for Asia-Pacific and two for Europe.

Eligible WMSC candidates may only appear on one list. But there is only one WMSC candidate eligible from South America, which is Fabiana Ecclestone, from Brazil. She has been serving as the Vice President for Sport, South America since December 2021, as part of Ben Sulayem’s administration.

Tim Mayer, a longtime motorsport executive and official, was running against Ben Sulayem but has since effectively withdrawn from the election, given the rules situation. He is now focusing on educating member clubs.

Mayer’s campaign, FIA Forward, has filed seven ethics complaints to the FIA recently, one of which is concerning “the process of the Nominations Committee, that they are not fulfilling their statutory requirement to be transparent,” he told The Athletic.

When contacted by The Athletic about the seven ethics complaints, an FIA spokesperson said, in part, in a statement, “The FIA has taken steps since 2021 to strengthen its corporate governance policies, guiding the FIA’s operations and ensuring its rules, practices, and processes are robust and transparent.”

The Athletic contacted the Russian Automobile Federation for a comment regarding Kiryanov being part of the current WMSC, but has not received a response at the time of publication.