FIA Announces World Motor Sport Council Decisions

Sport news The FIA President reminded council members that in the 12-months since the last physically-attended WMSC meeting in March 2020, the FIA has maintained a strong level of governance across all disciplines and all regions despite these unprecedented times. The FIA President led a one-minute silence which was observed by members in memory of all those from the global motor sport community who have fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also paid tribute to the Finnish rally driver Hannu Mikkola who passed away recently. The President said: “Hannu was a great champion and a gentleman. I’ve had the privilege of being his co-driver many years ago. My thoughts are with his loved ones and the families of the members of the FIA community who passed away due to the pandemic.” The following is a summary of the decisions taken during the meeting: FIA Formula One World Championship The World Council has agreed to grant a one-year extension to the existing exclusive tyre supply contract with Pirelli to reflect the original intention of the 2018 tyre tender and remain within the overall technical framework in the best interests of all relevant stakeholders. The COVID-19 pandemic obliged the FIA and Formula 1 to implement emergency measures that included the cancellation of tyre development tests last year and the postponement of planned new technical regulations – which included 18-inch tyres – from 2021 to 2022. As a result, 13-inch tyres will be used during the 2021 season, with a move to 18-inch tyres in 2022. The FIA Safety Department presented the findings of the investigation into the incident involving Romain Grosjean at the 2020 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – further details of which can be found  here . Following the confirmation of Portugal as the venue for round three, the revised 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is as follows: 28 March  Bahrain Sakhir  18 April  Italy Imola  2 May  Portugal  Portimao  9 May  Spain  Barcelona 23 May  Monaco  Monaco  6 June  Azerbaijan  Baku 13 June  Canada Montreal  27 June  France  Le Castellet  4 July  Austria  Spielberg 18 July  Great Britain  Silverstone 1 August  Hungary Budapest  29 August  Belgium Spa-Francorchamps  5 September  Netherlands Zandvoort  12 September  Italy  Monza  26 September  Russia  Sochi 3 October  Singapore Singapore 10 October  Japan  Suzuka  24 October  USA  Austin  31 October  Mexico  Mexico City  7 November  Brazil São Paulo  21 November  Australia  Melbourne  5 December  Saudi Arabia  Jeddah*  12 December  Abu Dhabi  Yas Marina  *Subject to circuit homologation FIA World Rally Championship The Council approved the final Rally1 technical regulations, including an update of the 1.6 turbo engine details. FIA Rally - 2022 WRC and ERC Sporting Pyramid   The principles of a Rally Sporting Pyramid, to be implemented for the FIA World Rally Championship with complementary details for the FIA European Rally Championship, have been approved. The ambition of this new structure is to align the championships names with the car categories names (e.g. Rally2 cars compete in WRC2), to identify a common theme of Open and Junior categories between the series, and to reinforce the positioning of the FIA European Rally Championship both as a feeder  series for the WRC and a goal in itself by creating a clear pathway. In application of these principles, the WRC2 classification, open to the Rally2 category, will feature an Open Championship and a Junior Championship for drivers under 30. The WRC3 classification, open to the Rally3 class, will also feature an Open Championship and a Junior Championship for drivers under 29. Similarly, the ERC3 classification, open to the Rally3 category, will feature an Open Championship and a Junior Championship for drivers under 28, while the ERC4 classification, open to the Rally4 and Rally5 classes, will equally have an Open Championship and a Junior Championship for drivers under 27. In addition to age limits, experience restrictions will be implemented in the Junior Championships. As a result, former champions will not be allowed to put their titles back into play. For both the WRC and ERC classifications, awards for Rookies, with less than three participations before the start of the season, and Masters, for drivers over 40 years old not included on the FIA Regional Priority List, will be created. As a next step, details will be defined to reflect these principles in the sporting regulations. FIA World Endurance Championship Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, it was necessary to revise the 2021 calendar. A revised calendar has been approved as follows:  26-27 April Belgium Official Prologue - Spa-Francorchamps* 1 May Belgium TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 13 June Portugal 8 Hours of Portimão* 18 July Italy 6 Hours of Monza 21-22 August France 24 Hours of Le Mans* 26 September Japan 6 Hours of Fuji 20 November Bahrain 8 Hours of Bahrain *new dates FIA Women in Motorsport Commission The final phase of the 2020 FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme came to a successful conclusion at the Ferrari Driver Academy in Maranello, Italy. Postponed from November 2020 to January, due to the pandemic, the five-day assessment was the final step for the four finalists after nearly a year of selection and evaluation. During a live broadcast on the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s Facebook page, Dutch/Belgian born Maya Weug was announced as the winner and became the first-ever female driver to become a student of the Academy. Weug will also contest a 2021 Formula 4 championship certified by the FIA. The three other finalists, Doriane Pin, Antonella Bassani and Julia Ayoub, were each awarded by Ferrari a test session in a 488 Challenge EVO. The FIA Girls on Track - Rising Stars is a four-year programme and 2021 will host a second call for talent among the FIA ASNs and the same process will result in a second female driver potentially becoming part of the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022. Michèle Mouton, the Commission President, received widespread praise from council members for her vision and leadership of the Girls on Track project. FIA Digital Motorsport Commission  The Commission President Anna Nordkvist, of Sweden, was introduced to WMSC members. The task of the new Commission is to grow participation at grassroots level and position the FIA as a key stakeholder in the Digital and Esports industry. It was also agreed that one of the aims of the Commission should be to encourage participation among female Esports competitors. FIA Karting Championships Approval was given for the re-scheduling of two events on the 2021 calendar. The FIA Karting European Championship event (OK & OK-JUNIOR) on the Circuito Internacional Zuera (Spain), originally scheduled for 15-18 April 2021 has been rearranged for 22-25 July 2021. The FIA Karting European Championship event (KZ & KZ2) and FIA Karting Academy Trophy on the Adria Karting Raceway (Italy), originally scheduled for 29 April-2 May 2021, has been rearranged for 12-15 August 2021. The revised 2021 calendars are as follows: FIA Karting World Championship - OK 28-31 October Brazil Birigui FIA Karting World Championship - Junior 28-31 October  Brazil   Birigui FIA Karting World Championship - KZ 02-05 September Sweden Kristianstad FIA Karting European Championship - OK 13-16 May Belgium Genk 27-30 May France Aunay-Les-Bois* 08-11 July Italy  Sarno 22-25 July Spain Zuera FIA Karting European Championship – Junior 13-16 May Belgium Genk 27-30 May France Aunay-Les-Bois* 08-11 July Italy Sarno 22-25 July Spain Zuera FIA Karting European Championship - KZ 17-20 June Germany Wackersdorf 12-15 August Italy Adria FIA Karting European Championship - KZ2 17-20 June Germany Wackersdorf 12-15 August Italy Adria FIA Karting European Championship - Superkart 22-24 October  France Le Mans - Bugatti* FIA Karting International Super Cup - KZ2 02-05 September  Sweden   Kristianstad FIA Karting Academy Trophy 17-20 June Germany Wackersdorf 12-15 August Italy Adria 02-05 September Sweden    Kristianstad *subject to track homologation or re-homologation FIA WTCR - World Touring Car Cup There are several minor updates to the WTCR Sporting Regulations, including an extension to the registration deadline for full season entries as a result of the later start to the season previously announced. The new deadline is May 2, 2021. FIA World Cup for Cross-Country – Rallies and Bajas Date changes to the 2021 calendars were approved. The BP Ultimate Portugal Cross-Country Rally, previously the opening round of the World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, will now take place from 16-21 September due to the implementation of further COVID-19 restrictions in the country. The Hungarian Baja, a qualifying round of the World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the newly introduced European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, has been moved to 5-8 August for operational reasons. FIA Single-Seater Commission  FIA Formula 3 World Cup The FIA Formula 3 World Cup has been confirmed on the International Sporting Calendar and is scheduled to take place on 21 November 2021 in Macau, China (subject to contract with the promoter).  Formula 4 Sporting and Technical Regulations for the Formula 4 element of the 2021 FIA Motorsport Games were approved. FIA Rally Commission In the FIA Regional Rally Championships, changes to the following 2021 calendars due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have been approved: FIA European Rally Championship 06-08 May (initially 25-27 March) Portugal Azores Rallye 18-20 June Poland 78 Rally Poland 1 01-03 July Latvia Rally Liepaja 1 23-25 July Italy Rally di Roma Capitale 1 27-29 August Czech Rep. Barum Czech Rally Zlin 1 24-26 September (initially 12-14 March) Portugal Rallye Fafe 22-24 October Hungary Rally Hungary 1 18-20 November (initially 06-08 May) Spain Rally Islas Canarias 1 1  Round of the FIA ERC Junior Championships   FIA European Rally Trophy – Benelux Rally Trophy 09-10 July Luxembourg Rallye Lëtzebuerg 28-29 August Belgium Aarova Rally 05-07 November Belgium Rallye du Condroz   FIA European Rally Trophy – Celtic Rally Trophy 18-20 June Ireland Donegal International Rally 25-26 September Ireland Cork 20 International Rally 19-20 November (initially 20-21 August) Great Britain Ulster International Rally   FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship – Asia Cup 23-25 April (initially 26-28 March) India South Inda Rally 10-12 September Japan Rally Hokkaido 22-24 October China Rally Longyou   FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship – Pacific Cup 15-17 October Australia Adelaide Hills Rally 27-28 November (initially 20-21 Nov.) Australia Coffs Harbour Rally   FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship – Final 27-28 November (initially 20-21 Nov.) Australia Coffs Harbour Rally   FIA Middle East Rally Championship 28-30 January Qatar Manateq Qatar International Rally 20-22 May Jordan Jordan Rally 03-05 September Lebanon Rally of Lebanon 24-26 September Cyprus Cyprus Rally 04-06 November Kuwait Rally of Kuwait TBA (initially 18-20 February) Oman Rally of Oman   FIA African Rally Championship 23-25 April Kenya Equator Rally Kenya 25-26 July Tanzania Rally of Tanzania 20-22 August Uganda Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally 24-26 September Zambia Zambia International Rally 05-06 November South Africa Rally of South Africa TBA (initially 19-21 March) Rwanda Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally   FIA NACAM Rally Championship 19-20 March (initially 12-13 March) Mexico Rally Colima 02-04 July Canada Rallye Int. Baie des Chaleurs 13-14 August Mexico Rally Guanajuato 03-04 September (initially 26-28 August) Mexico Rally Sierra Juarez 25-26 September (initially 28-30 May) Barbados Rally Barbados 27-28 November Mexico Rally Montanas   FIA RGT Cup 21-24 January Monaco Rallye Monte-Carlo 07-09 May France Rallye Ain Jura 23-25 July Italy Rally di Roma Capitale 13-15 August (initially 25-26 June) Belgium Ypres Rally 14-17 October Spain RallyRACC Catalunya Note: The other FIA Regional Rally Championship calendars remain unchanged.   FIA GT Commission  For a new competition designed for electric-powered GT cars, the council has selected the Promoter and will work towards concluding the next steps as soon as possible. Council has chosen the exclusive battery cell supplier. Sporting regulations have been approved for both GT3 competitions scheduled for this year’s FIA Motorsport Games, the GT Cup for Silver/Bronze driver pairings and the GT Sprint Cup for a single driver of any ranking. FIA Touring Car Commission For a new competition designed for electric-powered Touring Cars, the council has selected the Promoter and will work towards concluding the next steps as soon as possible. Sporting regulations have been approved for the FIA Motorsport Games: Touring Car Cup. FIA Off-Road Commission Amendments to the Technical Regulations for the FIA RX2e Championship, the first-ever FIA electric rallycross championship, which starts in 2021, were approved. Six race weekends are planned for the inaugural RX2e season, running alongside FIA World RX. FIA Hill Climb Commission An amendment to the FIA Hill Climb Regulations (Championship, Cup and Masters) was approved. The change allows FIA technical delegates to install randomly data loggers on cars to check the engine RPM during the competition. For Category 1 cars, this will allow crosschecking the RPM values submitted by competitors when registering their car in the “Performance Factor” system that decides in which Group the car is classified. In Category 2, checking RPM values is part of the on-going process of performance analysis of the cars. The following calendar changes for the FIA European Hill Climb Championship for 2021 have been approved. 2021 FIA European Hill Climb Championship (updated) 07-09 May Portugal Rampa da Boticas 14-16 May Spain Subida Internacional al Fito 28-30 May Czech Republic Ecce Homo Sternberk  (1) 11-13 June Germany Glasbachrennen 25-27 June Italy Coppa Paolino Teodori  (1) 16-18 July Slovakia Dobšinský kopec  (1) 23-25 July Poland Limanowa 13-15 August Switzerland St. Ursanne - Les Rangiers 27-29 August Slovenia GHD Petrol Ilirska Bistrica 17-19 September Croatia Buzetski dani (1)  Subject to obtaining guarantees from the organisers via their ASN regarding the organisational and/or safety improvements. FIA Historic Motor Sport Commission The following calendar changes for FIA Historic Championships in 2021 have been approved. 2021 FIA European Historic Sporting Rally Championship calendar (updated) 09-11 April Italy 36° Sanremo Rally Storico 06-08 May Czech Republic 30. Historic Vltava Rally 24-26 June Hungary 54. Mecsek Rallye 15-17 July Austria Rally Weiz 13-14 August Finland Lahti Historic Rally 02-04 September Spain Rally Asturias Historico 23-25 September Italy 33° Rally Elba Storico 21-23 October Switzerland Rallye International du Valais 19-20 November Spain 69 Rally Costa Brava   2021 FIA Historic Hill Climb Championship calendar (updated) 28-30 May Czech Republic Ecce Homo Sternberk 18-20 June Slovenia GHD Gorjanci 02-04 July Italy Trento Bondone 09-11 July Italy Cesana Sestriere 27-29 August Slovenia GHD Petrol Ilirska Bistrica 17-19 September Croatia Buzetski Dani 24-26 September Italy Coppa Chianti Classico   2021 FIA Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies (updated)  11-13 November Poland 10th Rally Poland Historic 2021 FIA Historic Formula 3 European Cup  16-18 July Netherlands Zandvoort   FIA Truck Racing Commission Following a successful tender process, an exclusive supplier of biofuel for the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, covering the term from 2021-2023, has been selected, making FIA ETRC the first FIA-regulated competition to switch to a fuel fully originated from renewable sources (HVO biofuel). The announcement will be made in due course. FIA Drag Racing Commission In order to standarise class structure and regulations across national drag racing competitions, amended Technical Regulations and Race Procedures for FIA Drag Racing have been approved, with the addition of new “Sportsman” and “Grassroots” categories. The aim of this work is to support ASNs by: Enabling national level competitors to be able to compete across borders more easily, increasing entry numbers for all events Assisting national level technical officials to maintain a higher safety and regulatory standard Minimising the resources that an ASN must invest in Drag Racing by having the regulations instead maintained by the FIA, and Increasing the resale value of competition cars by making them eligible to compete in more markets. FIA Drifting Commission Sporting regulations have been approved for both the FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup and the FIA Motorsport Games: Drifting Cup. Sport Clubs Development Programme The WMSC members were informed that applications had opened for the Sport Clubs Development Programme (SCDP) – an FIA Innovation Fund (FIF) initiative which provides support for the management and development of motor sport activities through an intensive, two-year mentoring process from FIA Experts. The closing date for applications is March 31. Upcoming World Motor Sport Council Meetings  Dates of the FIA World Motor Sport Council meetings in 2021 are as follows: 09 July Monaco, on the occasion of the FIA Sport and Mobility Conference 15 October Paris 15 December Paris, on the occasion of the FIA Annual General Assembly   WMSC World Motor Sport Council Sport 1SportWorld Motor Sport CouncilWMSC00 Friday, March 5, 2021 - 7:45pm Friday, March 5, 2021 - 7:45pm