The World Motor Sport Council met today at the Royal Automobile Club in London for the third meeting of 2022. The meeting was hosted by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid and WMSC members attended in person and via video conference.
The Vice-President for Sport opened the meeting by thanking Motorsport UK and its chairman David Richards for encouraging the WMSC’s presence at the world-famous venue, as well as the hosts, the RAC and its chairman Ben Cussons.
In his opening speech, the FIA President gave an overview of the milestones achieved since the last WMSC meeting in Paris in June.
He said: “Over the summer, the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the 2026 Formula 1 engine unit regulations. These regulations are the result of extensive research and development by the FIA and consultations with established and potential new PU manufacturers. The FIA continues to drive innovation and sustainability across our motorsport portfolio. The 2026 Formula 1 PU regulations are the most prominent example of this mission.
“Audi announced in Spa-Francorchamps in August that it would be entering the FIA Formula 1 World Championship as an engine manufacturer from 2026. This announcement was a validation of the hard work of everyone involved in the development of these regulations. We also note that Porsche is still in talks with Formula 1 teams.
“Recently, WMSC members approved the 2023 F1 calendar of 24 races – further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport. Six race weekends with sprint sessions have been confirmed as part of the 2023 calendar. Thanks to the collaboration with Stefano Domenicali and our colleagues at FOM, the FIA completed a thorough analysis of the impact of additional sprint sessions and adjusted our workflow to ensure that sprints are regulated at the highest level.”
The WMSC has been updated in connection with the ongoing discussions with the teams after the end of the very first review under the FIA F1 Financial Regulations.
As announced immediately after the race, the FIA made a thorough analysis of what happened at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. Procedural deficiencies have been identified and will be remedied in the short and medium term. The results will be published in the coming days.
The WMSC meeting on Wednesday 19th October was preceded by a strategy workshop on Tuesday 18th October. The session was a follow-up to the two-day WMSC strategy meeting held in Ljubljana, Slovenia last month.
The strategic precursor to the WMSC Main Meeting is part of the FIA Executive Team’s commitment to bring more robust governance to the organization. During this meeting, updates were provided on the ongoing review of the FIA’s structure and the organisation’s financial analysis, launched by the leadership team following last year’s elections.
The following is a summary of the decisions made in today’s session:
FIA Formula 1 World Championship
A number of safety improvements have been made to the Formula 1 regulations.
For the 2023 Formula 1 Technical Regulations, they included enlarging the mirrors for a better view of the “blind spot” and improved definition of the brake circuits.
Further improvements were made to roll bar regulations, which were tightened following an FIA investigation into Zhou Guanyu’s accident at the British Grand Prix.
In the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations 2022, the procedure for determining the starting positions after the imposition of several penalties has been clarified.
ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar for Season 9 (2022/23) has been approved as follows:
More details here.
FIA World Rally Championship
In response to the continued increase in the price of homologated components, the cost cap introduced to control spending on the design, build and development of vehicles that comply with Rally2, Rally3, Rally4 and Rally5 technical regulations has been reassessed. In agreement with the participating manufacturers in the different classes, it was decided to follow the price indexation formula recently agreed in Formula 1. It was also agreed that further changes would be considered should prices rise again in the future. A decision on the 2023 WRC calendar has been postponed.
FIA World Rally Raid Championship
The 2023 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship calendar has been approved as follows:
More details on the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship and Cross-Country Bajas calendars here.
FIA Karting Commission (CIK)
In a world first, WMSC members agreed to create and implement a computerized surveillance rating system. The digital ranking will aggregate results from eligible karting events around the world.
The system aims to unite the entire karting community and streamline racing activities and results. All levels of competition are taken into account, from FIA World Championships to national events.
It also serves as a safety tool for a driver’s experience. The score allows the FIA to determine whether a driver has sufficient experience to advance to the next level of competition. It will create a natural path for all members of the karting community.
FIA Safety Commission
The “Super License Points System” has been updated with an agreement to extend the relaxation of the requirements for championships listed in Schedule 1 that count towards the license points system. The relaxation only applies to championships that end on March 31, 2023 at the latest. This is to take into account the reduced sporting activity in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new amendment to ISC Annex H to regulate high voltage operational safety will be implemented in FIA Championships with high voltage powertrains from 1 January 2023. The creation of this new supplement will also allow ASNs to apply this rule should they wish to implement operational e-safety in their own competitions.
The implementation of a newly created protective clothing standard (overalls, gloves and shoes) for FIA karting participants has been approved.
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Upcoming meeting of the World Motor Sport Council |
Please note: Confirmed FIA Championship calendars for the 2023 season can be found here.
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