The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automotive industry and motor car users in the fields of road safety and traffic circulation. The sport division is a governing body for many international motorsport championships and disciplines, including Formula One.
The FIA was formally established on 20 June 1904. It is headquartered at 8 Place de la Concorde, Paris, with offices in Geneva, Valleiry and London. The FIA consists of 245 member organisations in 149 countries worldwide. , its president is Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The FIA is generally known by its French name or initials, even in non-French-speaking countries, but is occasionally rendered as the International Automobile Federation.
Its most prominent role is in the licensing and sanctioning of Formula One, World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship, TCR World Tour, World Rallycross Championship, Formula E, and various other forms of racing. The FIA along with the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) also certify land speed record attempts. The International Olympic Committee provisionally recognised the federation in 2011, and granted full recognition in 2013.FIA gains official recognition from International Olympic Committee – Autoblog, 16 January 2012IOC upgrades FIA to full recognition status – Business Standard, 17 September 2013
History The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR, English: 'International Association of Recognized Automobile Clubs') was founded in Paris on 20 June 1904, as an association of national motor clubs. The association was designed to represent the interests of motor car users, as well as to oversee the burgeoning international motor sport scene.
In 1962, the FIA created the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK, also CIK-FIA), to oversee the growing karting discipline at international level, with a Nations Cup organised in the first year.
In 1978, Jean-Marie Balestre begun his presidency of the CSI, and it was renamed to Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), with the intention of creating a governing body for automobile motor sport with some autonomy from the rest of the FIA, which retained control of the karting commission, CIK. Balestre believed motor sport was not being managed well and wanted to professionalise and commercialise the sport, particularly in Formula One which led to a dispute with participants known as the FISA–FOCA war. Balestre later took presidency of the FIA in 1985, managing presidencies of both federations simultaneously. He lost the FISA presidency in 1991, and the FIA presidency in 1993, to Max Mosley on both occasions. It was clear to both Balestre and Mosley, and agreed by the FIA General Assembly upon proposition that there was no need for two federations, and subsequent to Mosley's FIA election, FISA was abolished in structural changes, bringing all motorsport under the control of the World Motor Sport Council.
Also in 1998, the karting commission (CIK) gained some independence, becoming known as the Fédération Mondial de Karting (FMK, also known as FMK-FIA and distinct from separate organisations International Kart Federation and World Karting Association). However the Federation was short lived and in 2000, reverted to being known as the CIK. ekartingnews.com
The FIA announced in 2022 the appointment of its first ever CEO, Natalie Robyn. Robyn resigned the position after 18 months and the position remains vacant.
Organisational structure
General Assembly The General Assembly is the Federation's supreme governing body, consisting of representatives from each of the FIA's member associations. According to the FIA's website, the voting member associations can be automobile and touring clubs (mobility), or national sporting authorities (sport). The website further states that there are 243 organisations spread among 147 countries.
Presidency The head of the FIA and chairman of the General Assembly is the President, a position held by Mohammed bin Sulayem since 2021. The President coordinates the activities of the Federation and proposes resolutions to the various commissions and committees and also acts as the representative of the FIA to external organisations. They are supported by two Deputy Presidents and several vice-presidents, each for Sport or Mobility, as well as the President of the FIA Senate. The combined presidency is elected to a four-year term by the General Assembly. Presidential candidates must produce an electoral list consisting of their proposed Deputy Presidents, vice-presidents for Sport, and the President of the Senate, as well as demonstrate support from a number of member clubs.
+FIA PresidentsAssociation Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) TermPresidentNationality1904–1931Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt1931–1936Robert de Vogüé1936–1946Jehan de Rohan-ChabotFédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)TermPresidentNationality1946–1958Jehan de Rohan-Chabot1958–1963Hadelin de Liedekerke-Beaufort1963–1965Filippo Caracciolo1965–1971Wilfred Andrews1971–1975Amaury de Merode1975–1985Paul Alfons von Metternich-Winneburg1985–1993Jean-Marie Balestre1993–2009Max Mosley2009–2021Jean Todt2021–presentMohammed Ben Sulayem +FIA Deputy Presidents for Sport Term Deputy President NationalityDeputises the FIA President as Chair of the World Motor Sport Council 1993–1997Alfredo César Torres 1998–2008Marco Piccinini 2009–2021Graham Stoker 2021–2025Robert Reid 2025–Malcolm Wilson
World Councils The FIA has two World Councils. The World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism (WCAMT) governs transport policy, road safety, tourism and environmental concerns. The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) regulates all sporting disciplines claimed by the FIA, and approves the regulations for each of the FIA's championships. Beneath the WMSC are a number of specialised commissions, which are either focused on individual championships, or general areas such as safety.
Senate The FIA Senate generally oversees financial and commercial affairs and general management of the FIA, and can take decisions required between meetings of the relevant committee or World Council.
Administration Sport and Mobility each have a Secretary General to head the administrative staff who function as intermediaries for the councils, commissions and committees. A Chief Administration Officer also heads areas supporting the Senate such as commercial, legal, marketing, events and financial.
Commissions
Committees Ten sports committees have been established by the World Motorsport Council to help manage and administer certain aspects of motorsport. An Ethics committee was also set up in 2012 by the General Assembly.
Judiciary The FIA's judicial bodies include the International Tribunal, which exercises disciplinary powers that are not dealt with by the meeting stewards, and the International Court of Appeal. The ICA is the final appeal tribunal for international motor sport, which resolves disputes brought before it by National Sporting Authorities worldwide, or by the President of the FIA. It can also settle non-sporting disputes brought by national motoring organisations affiliated to the FIA.
Sporting governance
FIA World Motor Sport Council The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has the decision-making responsibility for all motorsport the FIA governs and sanctions. It convenes at least three times a year to decide on rules and regulations proposed to it by the commissions and committees that have direct responsibility of the various disciplines and championships. The WMSC also discusses safety and development of motor sport and steers the commissions and committees through delegated tasks. The council consists of the President of the FIA, the Deputy President for Sport and seven vice-presidents as nominated by the President; five members by right and fourteen further members approved by the General Assembly.
World Championship Commissions
WMSC Committees
2022 ban of Russian and Belarusian teams and competitions
In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIA banned Russia and Belarus teams, and banned the holding of competitions in Russia or Belarus. It also excluded Russian and Belarusian FIA members from their roles as elected officers or commission members, and banned FIA grants to Russian and Belarusian members. Individual Russia and Belarus competitors were allowed to enter races as neutrals, without their national symbols, flags, colours and anthems. The FIA cancelled the 2022 edition of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, initially scheduled for 25 September. The FIA also terminated the Russian contract to host the race.
FIA World Championships
The true history of Formula One began in the 1946 season with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobiles (FIA's) standardisation of rules for Formula One cars in Grand Prix racing. The first Grand Prix in accordance with this new regulations was the 1946 Turin Grand Prix. Then in the 1950 season, the FIA organised the first World Championship for Drivers. From the 1958 season, a World Constructors' Championship title was introduced, named from the 1958 season to the 1980 season officially as the International Cup for Formula One Constructors. Formula One originated from the World Manufacturers' Championship (1925–1930) and European Drivers' Championship (1931–1939) which were organised by the AIACR (The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus).
In the 1973 season, the FIA organised the first World Rally Championship beginning with the 42nd Rally of Monte-Carlo to replace the International Championship for Manufacturers. Initially the championship was solely for manufacturers. In the 1977 and 1978 seasons, an FIA Cup for Drivers was included before a Driver's Championship title was introduced in the 1979 season.
In the 1987 season, the FIA sanctioned the World Touring Car Championship. Initially a one-off series for touring car racing, the title was revived in the 2005 season and discontinued at the end of the 2017 season.
In the 2010 season, the SRO Group introduced the FIA GT1 World Championship, which was a championship consisting of one-hour sprint races for GT cars. This world championship ended in the 2012 season. After a switch to GT3 cars in 2012 the series became known as the FIA GT Series in the 2013 season.
Starting in 2022 season, the FIA and FIM jointly sanctioned the World Rally-Raid Championship. With the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) acting as promotor and organiser; the separate cross-country rallying series sanctioned by the FIA and FIM were dissolved and merged into the new World Championship.
Key: World ChampionshipDriver's titleConstructor/manufacturer's titleTeam/entrant's title CurrentFormula One World Championship1950–1958––Karting World Championship1964–––World Rally Championship1979–1973––World Endurance Championship2012–2012–2018–World Rallycross Championship2014––2014– Formula E World Championship2020–2023–2020–World Rally-Raid Championship2022–2022–– FormerWorld Manufacturers' Championship–1925–1927–World Sportscar Championship1981–19921953–19841985–1992World Touring Car Championship1987, 2005–20172005–20171987GT1 World Championship2010–2012–2010–2012
Esports In 2024, the FIA approved the inclusion of an esports appendix into its International Sporting Code, formally codifying the organisation's authority over automobile sport based video game and simulator competitions. Although the FIA had approved of and had been associated with esports competitions previously, the first fully-sanctioned FIA championship of its kind was organised for November 2025, formed of sim racing events using Gran Turismo 7.
Mobility and tourism Carnet de Passages en Douane