FIA Press Releases
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FIA CONFIRMS PATH FOR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP’S RETURN TO U.S. SOIL
Sport newsThe Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, is accelerating plans for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to return to the United States, with announcement of a WRC candidate event scheduled for mid-2026.
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Organised in collaboration with the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), the candidate event, running from 11-17 June, will see FIA delegates conduct a thorough inspection and assessment of every aspect of rally organisation – from sporting operations to safety protocols. The goal of this event is to evaluate the potential for hosting a full WRC round in the U.S. starting in 2027.
Delegates will explore stages and infrastructure across Kentucky and Tennessee, gaining first-hand insight into the terrain and facilities. The programme will also include a visit to a round of the American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship, offering the FIA team a chance to engage directly with the U.S. rally community, including organisers, volunteers and fans, and meetings with the proposed event promoter and organiser, Podium Event Partners, which has long-established experience across multiple motor sport disciplines, including NASCAR.
A successful candidate event would pave the way for the United States to rejoin the WRC calendar in 2027, marking a milestone for both the championship and rallying in the country.
With a deep-rooted history in the United States, rallying has seen a renewed momentum in recent years driven by grassroots participation and the strength of the ARA National Championship. This vibrant rally culture provides a solid foundation for a world class WRC event.
The potential return of the WRC to the U.S. reflects the joint ambition of FIA and WRC Promoter to expand its global footprint in a country with a rich motor sport heritage and a growing appetite for rallying, opening a thrilling new chapter in the world’s premier rally series.
Speaking ahead of the event, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said:“The United States represents one of the most important growth opportunities for the FIA World Rally Championship. It is a nation where motor sport is part of the cultural DNA, with world-class domestic championships and a rapidly growing appetite for global competition. I am deeply committed to strengthening the FIA’s presence in the U.S. and ensuring that rallying becomes a defining pillar of that future.
“With five FIA-sanctioned events already established across three FIA World Championships across the nation, the foundations are firmly in place. Now is the time to build on that momentum. Expanding the WRC into North America would not only enhance the championship’s global reach, but connect rallying with a knowledgeable, passionate, and expanding fanbase in a market where participation and engagement continue to accelerate and grow.”
FIA Deputy President for Sport Malcolm Wilson said: “The confirmation of a FIA World Rally Championship candidate event in the United States is an important milestone and a first step towards bringing the championship to the country, offering a valuable opportunity to assess the proposed stages and service park concept. ACCUS plays a central role in this process, bringing significant experience and leadership within American motor sport, and the FIA will work closely with ACCUS and the event organisers to evaluate the event and support its continued development to ensure it meets FIA World Rally Championship standards.”
WRC Promoter Rally USA Project Leader Marc de Jong said:“The United States undoubtedly represents a major growth opportunity for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). It’s a really important market for our stakeholders and partners and in recent years, we have seen remarkable growth in fan interest. WRC Promoter’s plans to bring the WRC back to USA have been germinating for some time and the confirmation of this candidate event marks a significant step. It is a major milestone in WRC’s much anticipated return to the US, after an absence of nearly 40 years.”
Local Promoter and CEO Podium Event partners Matt Crews added:“The FIA World Rally Championship delivers an unparalleled fan experience and a powerful global platform for manufacturers and corporate sponsors, while showcasing host regions on a world stage like nothing else in sport. The United States is ready to return to the WRC calendar and host an event that doesn’t just meet expectations but redefines them. This represents a decisive step in making that vision a reality.”
SEASON 2026-2027SportRallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2026-2027WRC00Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - 5:17pmTuesday, January 27, 2026 - 5:17pm -
2026 FIA World Rally Championship – Rallye Monte-Carlo – FIA Event Preview
Sport newsPlease click here to view the PDF version.
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SEASON 2026SportRallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2026WRC00Tuesday, January 20, 2026 - 7:13pmTuesday, January 20, 2026 - 7:13pm -
FIA Karting champions and winners of 2025 honoured in Paris
Sport newsThe 2025 season was a landmark year for FIA Karting, defined by on-track battles, the emergence of a new generation of motor sport stars and the introduction of new competitions and formats that ushered the discipline into a bold new era. The FIA Karting Awards in Paris this evening, 10 January 2026, provided a fittingly grand backdrop to celebrate an iconic year for karting as the champions, winners and standout competitors gathered at Place Vendôme in the heart of the French capital.
Reflecting on a year of remarkable growth for FIA Karting, guests were addressed by Akbar Ebrahim, FIA Karting Commission President and Alberto Villarreal, FIA General Manager, who both celebrated the 25% increase in driver entries recorded from 2024 to 2025. 1217 drivers from 86 nationalities entered FIA Karting events last year, a testament to the ongoing success of the FIA’s Global Karting Plan and the commitment set out by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to expand karting and grow the base of the motor sport pyramid.
Kicking off the awards ceremony, the team championship trophies were awarded to Prema Racing, Sodikart, CPB Sport and Maranello Kart who all celebrated a triumphant year on track having powered an action-packed karting season across the FIA Karting World Championships and Cups.
The first driver award of the evening went to a rising star who certainly made his mark in FIA Karting last year. Expectations were high as James Anagnostiadis moved to the OK category and he certainly didn’t disappoint, claiming pole in the Mondokart.com World Championship final and an eventual fourth position he can be incredibly proud of. His impressive season has rightly earned him FIA Karting Rookie of the Year – OK and solidified his position as a driver to watch over the 2026 season.
The hotly-contested FIA European Championships provided a dramatic start to the 2025 season. Five European Champions, each of different nationality, all received their trophies this evening along with congratulations from their fellow drivers, teams and members of the International Karting Commission who assembled to honour the stars of the sport.
The FIA Karting Academy Trophy, which expanded last year to include a senior category, continued to provide a global platform for the champions of tomorrow to shine. In the junior category, Oiva Vettenranta clinched victory during a memorable final lap showdown in Cremona, whilst Yuzuki Sato conquered the challenging conditions of Rødby, finishing 31 points ahead of his nearest rival to be declared the first FIA Karting Academy Trophy senior winner.
Sato would go on to eventually win the first FIA Karting Senior Shootout in Valencia in December, securing a transformational prize of 250,000 euros towards an FIA-certified Formula 4 championship, rounding off an incredible year of success for the young Japanese racer.
In the OK-N and OK-NJ categories, two Italian drivers claimed World Cup glory on home soil in Cremona. Manuel Scognamiglio (OK-N) and Gioele Girardello (OK-NJ) both delivered commanding and seemingly unstoppable performances, securing victories that brought the partisan Italian crowd to its feet in September.
Franciacorta once again hosted a spectacular weekend towards the end of the season in the gearbox KZ categories. With packed grandstands, a 250-strong entry list and seamless organisation the weekend will live long in the memory, and was this evening fittingly awarded Best Event of the 2025 FIA Karting Championship season, an award collected by Raffaella Giacomini, Franciacorta Circuit Manager.
During that weekend, Maksim Orlov memorably reclaimed his lead during the finals of the KZ2 race to win the FIA Karting World Cup, whilst the clash between Italians Angelo Lombardo and Davide Fore played out with an intense head-to-head track battle, eventually won by Lombardo, securing him the International Masters Super Cup KZ2 trophy.
Attention during tonight’s ceremony then turned to the standout new event of the 2025 FIA Karting season - the inaugural FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup, held in Malaysia. A landmark event on the 2025 calendar, it brought together 107 competitors from 50 nations in a new affordable, accessible format championed by the FIA to widen participation and reduce the barriers of entry into motor sport.
The LYL International Circuit hosted an unforgettable weekend of racing with the junior final won by Troy Ferguson, who began his penultimate lap in sixth position before delivering a blistering final couple of laps to win the first FIA Karting Junior Arrive and Drive World Cup. Meanwhile in the senior category it was Zach Tucker who delivered an assured performance to keep his kart ahead despite the torrential Malaysian weather, securing the FIA Karting Senior Arrive and Drive World Cup.
Finally, the 2025 FIA Karting World Champions received the most prestigious honours of the evening. They arrived in Paris fresh from the FIA Awards in Tashkent, the biggest night in global motor sport, where they joined 2025’s World Champions from across the FIA’s seven World Championships.
Noah Baglin, who bounced back from the heartbreak of his final-lap drama in 2024 to dominate the OK-Junior category with a winning margin of over four seconds, Thibaut Ramaekers, who surged from fifth on the grid to seize the OK title and Senna van Walstijn, who kept his composure to claim his first FIA Karting World Championship crown in KZ, each took to the stage in Paris to be honoured by the international karting community.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, said:
“2025 was an incredible year for global karting development as we advanced our FIA Global Karting Plan and delivered new investment. Congratulations to everyone who made the year a success and to all Champions and award winners.
As we look ahead, the FIA is committed to building on our progress, empowering the next generation with FIA Karting events in regions around the world, new continental Arrive and Drive Championships and an expanded FIA Karting calendar. Together, we will make 2026 a golden year of karting.”
Akbar Ebrahim, FIA Karting Commission President, said:
“The FIA Karting Awards this evening were a fitting celebration of the exceptional performances, determination and sacrifice that made 2025 an iconic year for karting. My congratulations to all the champions and winners who have all displayed great talent and promise. As we look to the upcoming 2026 season I am confident this year will be a transformational year for FIA Karting.”
The 2026 FIA Karting season will feature an expanded calendar, including new FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Continental Championships and the FIA Karting World Championship (OK, OK-J) hosted in Bahrain. The season will begin in Italy over 10 -12 April 2026 for the first round of the FIA Karting European Championship at the iconic La Conca Circuit.ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact FIA Sport Communications Manager, Omar Sharif: osharif@fia.com
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SEASON 2025SportCircuit1SportKartingCircuitFIASEASON 2025FIA Karting00Saturday, January 10, 2026 - 10:58pmSaturday, January 10, 2026 - 4:58pm -
Accelerating sustainable innovation: How the FIA is driving the future of hydrogen power through motor sport
Sport newsFrom the introduction of disc brakes in the 1950s to the creation of the world’s most efficient hybrid power units with the 2014 generation of F1 regulations, motor sport has always been a hothouse for advancement, a place where the pursuit of competitive advantage relentlessly drives innovation.
The will to win is a strong lever, but when it’s joined by an even stronger imperative – a societal demand for change – and boosted by the arrival of new technologies ripe for exploration, that’s when motor sport’s ability to push the boundaries of development really kicks into gear.
In June, that was demonstrated in Macau, with the ratification by the World Motor Sport Council of the first ever set of technical and safety regulations for liquid hydrogen-powered vehicles. The rules not only protect drivers and teams by establishing a clear set of standards that allow for safe, high-performance use of liquid hydrogen (LH₂), they also serve as a platform to accelerate innovation around the fuel source. And in a world where the demand for sustainable solutions is increasingly vocal, that desire to innovate is particularly strong, as FIA Head of R&D Nicolas Aubourg explains.
“The FIA is always seeking to become more sustainable, to decarbonise motor sport, and hydrogen is possibly the ultimate expression of that because you put H₂ and oxygen from the air in your power unit, and the only byproduct at the exhaust is water provided that the combustion process is properly controlled and completed,” he says.
“We also have several manufacturers that are highly interested in this technology. Currently, no one is quite sure if the future will be hybrid, electric, sustainable fuel, or hydrogen so research into hydrogen is very much on the radar of companies such as Toyota, who already have a hydrogen road car, the Mirai, and BMW who are about to launch one. Hyundai has hydrogen models, Alpine has shown some demonstrators, and even Ferrari is interested in this technology, as they see potential for hydrogen to be used with internal combustion and not with a fuel cell.
“Finally, as the FIA, we have a very interesting set of tools — with some championships also very interested in hydrogen as a future option. The ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, want to be pioneers with this technology and they think that there is a way to make a step forward and to change motor sport.”
Expert Coalition
Initiated in 2021, the project first focused on compressed gaseous hydrogen, the form most commonly used in road vehicles. However, as development deepened it became clear that gaseous hydrogen presented problems.
“If you want to design, let’s say, a hypercar, which was our first objective because of the ACO’s strong interest, you have to have big, pretty heavy tanks and that makes the design of a race car quite complicated,” says Aubourg. “Also, the time for refuelling is long—it’s very difficult to do it below two minutes or even three minutes because you have a lot of changes of temperatures, materials. It's quite complicated to deal with.”
With liquid hydrogen featuring higher energy density and lighter storage requirements, ideal qualities for a racing environment, the decision was taken in the winter of 2023 to make the switch. There was, however, one additional issue – this was largely uncharted territory with few previous applications. Faced with a blank canvas and a largely unfamiliar new technology, the FIA took the radical step of seeking expertise from every area of hydrogen power, a move that brought onboard some surprise contributors and which also proved transformative.
“What we discovered with H₂ is that it is a fascinating environment, one really made for development and one with some very interesting stakeholders,” says Aubourg. “It was natural for us to involve Toyota and BMW as they already have hydrogen-powered road cars, but then you start to look at who is working with liquid H₂, and there is one above all others – rocket science and the space industry. And in Europe that means Arianespace and the Ariane group. They have an enormous amount of expertise, so we looped them in, and they are still very much involved.
“Beyond that we are talking about industrial companies such as Air Products to supply hydrogen and FORVIA for tanks… And quite rapidly, you begin to build a very interesting ecosystem of people.”
Aubourg also found there was a willingness to embrace motor sport’s potential to deliver rapid advances.
“People working in rocket science, on road cars, on trucks, in the army, on planes – for them motor sport is a liberating environment. In this phase we really don’t care about reliability, about comfort. It’s only about performance and only about prototypes. With planes you need 10, 20 years to bring things to market. In motor sport, it’s a five-year plan. For them, motor sport is a kind of refuge, a closed environment, and it is pure development.”
Building ‘bricks’
With a direction of travel established and expert support in place, Aubourg says the next step for the FIA Technical Department was to assemble the ‘bricks’, the key technical specification and safety requirements needed to construct the new framework.
Among the bricks are safe storage and temperature control, weight minimisation, refuelling procedures. And it is tank design and heat reduction that have occupied much of the process.
“The working point of liquid H₂ in motor sport is very specific,” says Aubourg. “It’s extremely, insanely cold and the issue is that when you want to keep it liquid, you have to store it in something that is isolated from heat—any heat. And if there is one thing a race car generates it is heat. As soon as you put it in ambient conditions it starts to get hotter, and you get what’s called boil-off.”
Boil-off must be carefully controlled, and any resulting over-pressure must be properly managed to avoid leaks and potential flash or jet fires. Ensuring that LH₂ is kept sufficiently cold and that pressure-control systems operate effectively is of paramount importance
“The good news is that the solution is relatively simple,” says Aubourg. “As soon as you put what we call a vacuum jacket around the tank it can be very, very efficient. We are also aided by the fact that in motor sport we don’t need to store the liquid in the tank for a long period, as you do in a road car, so we are finding some new solutions to have the right level of isolation, the right dormancy time [where stored fuel evaporates over time, building pressure] and to make the packaging and the design much better for a race car.”
The FIA Technical Department has also collaborated with its sister Safety Department to take the design into the real world through a series of physical tests.
“We began testing in October and they are ongoing,” explains Aubourg. “These consist of building a storage system with 20 kilograms of liquid H₂ on board, the maximum limit we have specified in the regulations, and the tanks overpressure system is tested, or we check what happens when pipes are cut. The next step is to destroy the storage system and to check what happens when you have a full liquid H₂ spill going onto the ground.”
Weighing in
As with every motor sport category, weight reduction is a primary goal with hydrogen competition and Aubourg is certain that the research being undertaken to evolve the regulations will yield massive real-world improvements – particularly in the areas of tank and fuel pump design.
“Instead of the 100 or 120 litres required for a race car using fossil fuel, with LH₂ you would need around 300 litres. We can find some solutions in terms of design, and we could also envisage more hybrid solutions to lessen the LH₂ load on board. Plus, the weight of the storage system is decreasing every day. The more we engage with manufacturers, the lower the weight goes. Some suppliers have started to create composite LH₂ tanks. So, everything is decreasing.
“Another issue is the weight of existing LH₂ pumps. If you want to find a pump just to raise the LH₂ to 70 bars to put it in an ICE, the existing pumps on the market are, like, 30 kilograms. Compare that to a 500-gram fossil fuel pump. There is a lot to do there, but again prototypes are being designed by the manufacturers.”
Finally, refuelling is another “technological brick” the FIA working on as research continues and the regulations evolve.
“There is a protocol which is a bit complex, but we are working with TotalEnergies who are in charge of delivering the LH₂ for future endurance racing,” says Aubourg before explaining that existing refuelling methods are not suited to racing.
“In Germany, some LH₂ refuelling stations for heavy-duty trucks already exist and can refuel a vehicle with around 1,000 km of autonomy in roughly ten minutes However, for motor sport we need to go well beyond this performance: instead of ten minutes, we need to achieve 40 seconds, meaning a refuelling rate of one kilogram per second. It’s challenging, but according to first simulations it seems possible.”
This, for Aubourg, is the reward of creating the first set of liquid hydrogen regulations – a vast sandbox in which the potential to take rapid innovation to the race track and into wider society is a very real prospect.
“it's been a long time since I have seen that motor sport can be such a laboratory,” he insists. “And honestly, work like this is more and more important,” he insists. “People, especially young people, are extremely concerned by sustainability matters in motor sport, and beyond. We have to anticipate this. If we want to race tomorrow, we have to do it. It’s our duty – but a happy one.”
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Sport1SportAll fia sporttechnicalAll sport00Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - 5:37pmWednesday, January 7, 2026 - 5:37pm -
FIA, Formula 1 Group and all 11 race teams officially sign the ninth Concorde Agreement, securing strength and stability for the sport in pivotal five-year agreement
Sport newsThe Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, and Formula 1 Group, the Commercial Rights Holder, have today announced the signing of the Concorde Governance Agreement, a crucial contract defining the regulatory framework and governance terms of the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2030. This follows the announcement in March that the 2026 Commercial Concorde Agreement had been signed by all the teams and Formula 1 Group. Together, these agreements constitute the ninth Concorde Agreement, representing a major step forward in the professionalisation and global development of the sport.
First introduced in 1981, the Concorde Agreements are designed to promote sporting fairness, technological innovation and operational excellence, and align all key stakeholders around a shared vision for structured governance and continued growth of the sport. Each iteration of the Concorde Agreements has shaped the FIA Formula One World Championship into the global spectacle it is today.
The ninth Concorde Agreement announced today marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration between the FIA and Formula 1 Group, who have worked together to write the next chapter in Formula 1 history, demonstrating mutual respect, transparency and shared purpose between the two organisations. It confirms the participation of all FIA Formula One World Championship teams, including the incoming Cadillac Formula 1 team, through the end of the decade, and provides a stable foundation for the sporting and technical evolution of the sport.
The Concorde Agreement underscores the commitment of the FIA, Formula 1 Group and all teams to continue growing and developing the sport, and to keep driving the momentous expansion it has seen in recent years. The new contract enables the FIA to invest further in improved race regulation, race direction, stewarding and technical expertise for the benefit of the Championship, and means the sport can continue to evolve, providing exciting technological innovation and sporting action for fans, broadcasters and partners, all within a stable and structured regulatory framework. Combined with record viewership growth, a dynamic race calendar, and increasing engagement from younger audiences, the FIA Formula One World Championship enters this next chapter with unprecedented momentum.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said: “The ninth Concorde Agreement secures the FIA Formula One World Championship’s long-term future and I am proud of the dedication that has been invested in this process. I would like to thank Stefano Domenicali and his team in what has been a strong collaboration, building a framework grounded in fairness, stability, and shared ambition. This agreement allows us to continue modernising our regulatory, technological, and operational capabilities, including supporting our race directors, officials, and the thousands of volunteers whose expertise underpin every race. We are ensuring that Formula 1 remains at the forefront of technological innovation, setting new standards in global sport.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1 Group, said: “Today is an important day for Formula 1. As we celebrate seventy-five years of this incredible sport, we are proud to write the next chapter in our long and amazing history. This agreement ensures that Formula 1 is in the best possible position to continue to grow around the world. I want to thank the President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem and all the teams for the collaboration and determination to achieve the best results for the entire sport in our discussions. We have a huge amount to be proud of, but we also are focussed on the opportunities and exciting potential for Formula 1 in the years ahead.”
ENDS
For media enquiries please contact:
Jonathan Refoy, FIA Chief Communications Officer – jrefoy@fia.com
Cameron Kelleher, FIA Sport Communications Senior Director | Head of Formula 1 Communications – ckelleher@fia.com
Sophia Martin-Pavlou, FIA Corporate Communications Director – smartin-pavlou@fia.com
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations globally. It is a non-profit organisation committed to driving innovation and championing safety, sustainability and equality across motor sport and mobility.
Founded in 1904, with offices in Paris, London and Geneva, the FIA brings together 245 Member Organisations across five continents, representing millions of road users, motor sport professionals and volunteers. It develops and enforces regulations for motor sport, including seven FIA World Championships, to ensure worldwide competitions are safe and fair for all.
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SEASON 2025SportCircuit1SportFIA Formula One World ChampionshipCircuitF1SEASON 2025Formula 100Friday, December 12, 2025 - 3:32pmFriday, December 12, 2025 - 3:32pm