Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA; French: “International Automobile Federation”) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1904 and headquartered in Paris that includes more than 240 motoring organizations across 149 countries. The FIA has two major divisions: The sport division manages and governs several international motorsport competitions, including Formula One (F1), the World Rally Championship, and Formula E. The federation’s mobility division represents individual automobile users and motoring organizations and has worked to improve road and vehicle safety standards. The organization is also responsible for certifying land speed records.

History

The early 20th century saw a rise in popularity for the automobile as well as its eventual mass production. Motorsport events had begun in 1894 with the Paris-Rouen race, but early competitions had no rules regarding fair play or safety. The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR; “International Association of Recognized Automobile Clubs”) was set up in June 1904 in Paris as a forum for international cooperation on issues related to motoring. Founding members included motoring clubs from 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. In its early days the AIACR was led by the French motoring club, the Automobile Club de France (ACF; “Automobile Club of France”), which had been founded in 1895 and played a key role in setting up the international body.

The AIACR first defined its statutes and rules of operation in 1908. In 1922 the AIACR set up the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI; “International Sporting Commission”) to define guidelines and regulations for international motorsport. In 1946, after the end of World War II, the AIACR was renamed the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. The first FIA Formula One World Championship was held in 1950. A separate body, the Commission Internationale de Karting (“International Karting Commission”), was set up in 1962 to promote and regulate the increasingly popular sport of karting.

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Conflict emerged in the 1960s. While the CSI determined rules for individual F1 Grand Prix races, each race host had the freedom to determine who could participate and how much prize money was given. In 1964 the Formula 1 Constructors’ Association (F1CA, later FOCA) was formed to help constructors, or teams, negotiate fairly with race organizers. In 1972 the association succeeded in mandating a standard number of starting cars in each race. A rival group, Grand Prix International, was formed in 1973 to negotiate on behalf of the event organizers, but it ran out of steam as the FOCA, under Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, increased its influence in the world of motorized sport.

In 1978 the CSI was renamed the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA; “International Federation for Automobile Sport”) under Jean-Marie Balestre and gained greater autonomy from the FIA. He negotiated the 1981 Concorde Agreement with the FOCA that helped the FISA gain some of the revenue for television rights for F1 racing. Balestre also served as FIA president from 1986 to 1993. He lost the presidency of both the FISA (in 1991) and the FIA (in 1993) to Mosley, and in 1993 the former was abolished, with control passing to the FIA. Mosley remained at the helm of the FIA until 2009.

In 2012 the FIA received official recognition from the International Olympic Committee, although no motorized sports have been planned in the Summer or Winter Olympics since 1900, when car and motorcycle racing featured as demonstration events.

Structure and governance

The General Assembly, chaired by the FIA president, is the top governing body of the organization. Its membership comprises automobile clubs and national sporting regulators from every member organization. The General Assembly convenes on an annual basis. The FIA has two World Councils, one for motorsport governance and the other for automobile mobility and tourism. Budget approvals, amendments to statutes, and FIA officials’ elections are handled by the General Assembly.

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The World Motor Sport Council determines rules and regulations for all levels of motorsport, including F1 and its feeder structure, the World Rally, Endurance, Rally-Raid, and Rallycross championships, Formula E, and karting. It has 10 committees, which deal with individual aspects of motor racing. The council also divides racing cars into various categories and sets safety guidelines for cars as well as racetracks. The FIA Senate oversees compliance and management. The International Historical Commission focuses on the preservation of motoring history and heritage.

Presidency and election process

The head of the FIA, the president, is elected for a four-year term and previously could serve a maximum of three terms. In 2026 the body voted to remove the term limit. The election requires candidates to submit, in addition to their own names, the names of seven people for the positions of vice president for sport, who in turn need to endorse the former’s candidacy for president. These candidates must come from six regions: one each from Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific and two from Europe. Vice presidential candidates also must be under 75 years of age, must be eligible to join the World Motor Sport Council, and can endorse only one presidential bid.

The current president, former United Arab Emirates racing driver and administrator Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was elected in 2021. However, his reelection in 2025 was criticized as a sham by many opponents and members of the press, because he had the support of the only eligible vice presidential candidate from South America, Fabiana Ecclestone (the wife of Bernie Ecclestone). This guaranteed his election and eliminated all other candidates. In December 2025 a French court denied Swiss driver and potential presidential candidate Laura Villars’s petition seeking to delay the election, and Ben Sulayem was reelected unopposed.