FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has nominated leading rallying team boss Malcolm Wilson as his new deputy president for sport.
In the wake of the surprise resignation of Robert Reid earlier this month, Ben Sulayem has been looking for a replacement to carry him through to the end of his current term.
He has now put forward Wilson, with a vote due to be taken at the FIA's Extraordinary General Assemblies and Conference in Macau in June.
Wilson, who founded the M-Sport team that has led Ford's World Rally Championship programme since 1997, is a former driver himself who won the British Rally Championship title in 1994.
Under his guidance, M-Sport helped Ford win WRC manufacturers' titles in 2006, 2007 and 2017, as well as helping Sebastien Ogier to the drivers' crown in 2017 and 2018.
Speaking about nominating Wilson, Ben Sulayem said: "Malcolm has had a distinguished career in global motorsport. For over 40 years he has competed at the highest level both as a driver and technical partner to teams.
"This experience will be invaluable to the FIA and our member clubs as we continue to grow grassroots and professional motorsport, driving innovation in the sport to benefit fans, drivers and teams."
Wilson himself added: "The FIA has played a central role in my career, and I very much look forward to supporting the president and all the FIA family in its important mission.
"There has never been a more exciting time to be in motorsport, and I know first-hand the benefits the sport brings to families and communities across the world.
"I look forward to working with the president for the duration of his current term of office, bringing our sport to new audiences and ensuring we deliver the very best championships for all our competitors."
The nomination of a key figure from the British motorsport industry is an interesting one because it comes at a time that Ben Sulayem is at loggerheads with David Richards, the head of Motorsport UK, over the running of the governing body.
Richards has threatened legal action over a push from Ben Sulayem to get World Motor Sport Council members to sign a non-disclosure agreement - something that has been labelled a "gagging-order".
After refusing to sign, Richards and former FIA deputy president of sport Reid were barred from a meeting of the WMSC earlier this year.
The frustrations about the way that the FIA was being run triggered Reid to quit the organisation.
In a strongly worded resignation statement, he said: "When I took on this role, it was to serve the FIA's members; not to serve power.
"Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold.
"Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to represent.
"My resignation is not about personalities; it is about principles.
"Motorsport deserves leadership that is accountable, transparent, and member-driven. I can no longer, in good faith, remain part of a system that does not reflect those values."
Richards has kept up his push to increase transparency at the FIA and improve governance processes.
In a note he sent to Motorsport UK members recently, he said: "There are many things to be proud of that the FIA team in Geneva have achieved over the last three years.
"But we cannot allow a shift of the moral compass of our leadership to simply dismiss any request for transparency and open discourse."
