The meeting was hosted by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem with FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid, and WMSC members joining in person and via video link. The meeting was held as part of the annual FIA Conference week.

In his opening address, the FIA President reminded Council Members that the day marked the 119thanniversary of the FIA.

He began the meeting by thanking His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain for visiting the FIA Conference to meet members from Sport and Mobility councils. 

The FIA President said: “I am delighted to bring our 2023 FIA Conference and Extraordinary General Assembly to Cordoba in Andalucia. Spain is a very important country for the FIA family thanks to its long-standing engagement with both motor sport and mobility. I would like to thank our hosts, the Real Automóvil Club de España, City of Cordoba and the Region of Andalucia as well as our other Spanish Clubs, the Real Federación Española de Automovilismo and the Real Automóvil Club de Catalunya for welcoming us and helping to make this important event successful for our Members.” 

The FIA President reported on significant progress since the previous WMSC meeting in Bahrain in March this year.  

“The Senior Leadership team is continuing the work of bringing robust governance and financial stability to the organisation. The management restructuring is ongoing as we embed fresh faces with fresh ideas into the organisation. 

“We have placed even greater emphasis on engagement with our Member Clubs. In line with our mission to double motor sport participation worldwide, by making it accessible and affordable, here in Cordoba we have launched Motorsport In A Box – a turn-key grass-roots initiative for Clubs looking to start out on their motor sport journey.  

“Our campaign to combat Online Abuse is gathering momentum.  Recently I had fruitful meetings on the subject with his Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco, His Majesty the supreme ruler of Malaysia, the Prime Minister of Slovenia, the British Minister for Trade, Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA and we are in dialogue with representatives from IOC and UEFA and other sporting bodies.  

“This week at Conference we announced six scholarships in partnership with Dublin City University. The research from these scholarships will underpin the online abuse campaign. We are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to bring about meaningful change through collaborative action. 

“In an effort to strengthen the connection between motor sport and the automotive sector, I have also had a series of meetings with representatives from Stellantis, Ford, Ferrari and Toyota at the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans.  

“In Formula 1, we are progressing well with the review of 2022 Financial Regulations submissions and the call for Expression of Interest from potential new teams. In WRC, we have committed to an action plan to invigorate the championship. All Council Members have a vested interest in ensuring that the sport of rallying is thriving at all levels.” 

The following is a summary of decisions taken at today’s WMSC meeting:

FIA Formula One World Championship 
Following the ongoing work of the relevant Committees and Working Groups and approval by the Power Unit manufacturers, the World Council ratified several refinements to the 2026 Power Unit Regulations. In relation to those PU Regulations, the World Council also approved the following single suppliers for the period 2026-2030, following the completion of the Invitation to Tender process:

• F1 knock sensor: Bosch has been appointed as single supplier
• F1 insulation monitoring device: Bender GmbH & Co. KG has been appointed as single supplier

It was confirmed that all 10 Formula 1 teams, as well as the Commercial Rights Holder, have gained the 3-Star Environmental Accreditation from the FIA.

ABB FIA Formula E World Championship 
The 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was approved as follows:

Safety at FIA events 
A number of safety and security issues at events were raised during the meeting. There have been incidents of crowd invasions at the Australian Grand Prix in March and another incident of guests remaining on the edge of the starting grid during the Formation Lap at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month.

The World Council is awaiting the findings of the review into the track invasion at the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix requested by the stewards of the event. The promoter, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, will submit the report by the end of June. A remediation plan that addresses the safety and security concerns will be part of that report.

In relation to the incident at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, the FIA President stressed that protecting the health and well-being of everyone on the grid – guests, officials and teams was the FIA’s priority.

The FIA President said: “We must take learnings from the incident at the Spanish Grand Prix. The FIA has been assured by Stefano Domenicali (CEO of Formula 1), that measures are being taken to ensure that there is no repeat of the incident.

“It is an issue not just in Formula 1 but also in Formula E and World Endurance Championship and other categories from my recent experiences with too many people on the grid at some events. I have no doubt that in all cases, the promoter will adhere to the FIA requirements on safety and security. It is the duty of the FIA to  ensure a safe environment for all. Safety in motor sport is the Federation’s main priority.”

FIA Formula 2 Championship
Minor updates to the Sporting and Technical Regulations were approved. For regulatory stability and cost-saving reasons, the life cycle of the next generation of chassis will be increased from three to six years, so that for FIA Formula 2 the new chassis spec will be operational from 2024 to 2029, and in Formula 3 from 2025 to 2030. The duration of the associated chassis single supply will be aligned with these life cycles.

FIA Formula 3 World Cup
The Sporting and Technical Regulations for the FIA Formula 3 World Cup in Macau were approved.

Formula Regional
The proposal to delay the introduction of the Formula Regional 2nd Generation cars until Q1 of 2025 was approved.

Technical and Homologation Regulations for the 2nd Generation cars were also approved by the World Council, including:

• A prescribed design for key aerodynamic components to ensure the correct performance level and to achieve the close-following benefits learned from F1. The FIA aerodynamic design concept will serve as baseline for manufacturers to help to reduce development costs
• Limitations of planks and brake discs
• An update of the survival cell design specifications
• Modifications of crash test requirements.

Minor updates to the Technical and Homologation Regulations for the 1st Generation cars were also approved.

Formula 4 Championships, Certified by FIA
Annual updates to the Technical and Homologation Regulations for the 2nd Generation cars as well as Technical Regulations updates for the 1st Generation cars were approved.

FIA ecoRally Cup 
The 2024 Technical Regulations for the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup were approved.