Bernie remains in charge as Formula one gets sold, and it's worth a whopping £8.0 Billion.

Liberty Media Corporation Agrees to Acquire Formula One

• Transaction price represents enterprise value for Formula One of $8.0b
• Chase Carey appointed as Chairman; Bernie Ecclestone to remain CEO
• Initial sale of 18.7% minority stake in Formula One, with 100% sale subject to satisfaction of conditions

Liberty Media Corporation ("Liberty Media") (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, LMCA, LMCK) and CVC Capital Partners ("CVC") announced today that Liberty Media has agreed to acquire Formula One, the iconic global motorsports business, from a consortium of sellers led by CVC.

Liberty Media owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those interests are attributed to three tracking stock groups: the Liberty SiriusXM Group, the Liberty Braves Group, and the Liberty Media Group.

The consideration comprises cash and newly issued shares in the Liberty Media Group tracking stock (LMCK) and a debt instrument exchangeable into shares of LMCK. The transaction price represents an enterprise value for Formula One of $8.0 billion and an equity value of $4.4 billion⁽¹⁾.

The acquisition will be effected by Liberty Media acquiring 100% of the shares of Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula One (Delta Topco herein referred to as "Formula One")⁽²⁾. The acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions and is described in more detail below.

Concurrent with the execution of the agreement to effect the acquisition, Liberty Media has completed the acquisition of an 18.7% minority stake in Formula One for $746 million, funded entirely in cash (which is equal to $821 million in consideration less a $75 million discount to be repaid by Liberty Media to selling stockholders upon completion of the acquisition). 

Prior to completion, CVC Funds will continue to be the controlling shareholder of Formula One.

After completion of the acquisition, Liberty Media will own Formula One and it will be attributed to the Liberty Media Group which will be renamed the Formula One Group. 

The consortium of sellers led by CVC will own approximately 65%⁽¹⁾⁽³⁾ of the Formula One Group's equity and will have board representation at Formula One to support Liberty Media in continuing to develop the full potential of the sport. In addition, a CVC representative will be joining the Liberty Media Board of Directors.

Chase Carey has been appointed by Delta Topco and will serve as the new Chairman of Formula One, succeeding Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who will remain on Formula One's board as a non-executive director. Bernie Ecclestone will remain Formula One's CEO.

Greg Maffei, President and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Media, said: "We are excited to become part of Formula One. 

We think our long-term perspective and expertise with media and sports assets will allow us to be good stewards of Formula One and benefit fans, teams and our shareholders. 

We look forward to working closely with Chase Carey and Bernie Ecclestone to support the next phase of growth for this hugely popular global sport."

Chase Carey, Chairman of Formula One, said: "I am thrilled to take up the role of Chairman of Formula One and have the opportunity to work alongsideBernie Ecclestone, CVC, and the Liberty Media team. 

I greatly admire Formula One as a unique global sports entertainment franchise attracting hundreds of millions of fans each season from all around the world. I see great opportunity to help Formula One continue to develop and prosper for the benefit of the sport, fans, teams and investors alike."

Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive Officer of Formula One, said: "I would like to welcome Liberty Media and Chase Carey to Formula One and I look forward to working with them."

Donald Mackenzie, Co-Chairman of CVC, commented: "We are delighted Chase Carey is joining Formula One as its new Chairman and that he will be working alongside Bernie Ecclestone. 

Chase's experience and knowledge of sport, media and entertainment is as good as it gets and we are very pleased to secure his services. Bernie has been a wonderful CEO for us over the last 10 years. 

There have been many successes and the occasional challenge but there has never been a dull moment and we have had a lot of fun. The combined skills of Chase and Bernie mean that the successes should continue and we wish them well. 

We would like to thank Peter Brabeck-Letmathe for his outstanding contribution during his tenure as Chairman. His leadership has served the company well, and we are pleased that he will remain on the board as a non-executive director."

In the acquisition the selling stockholders will receive a mix of consideration comprising: $1.1 billion in cash, 138 million newly issued shares of LMCK and a $351 million exchangeable debt instrument to be issued by Formula One and exchangeable into shares of LMCK. 

Funding for the cash component of the acquisition is expected to come from cash on hand at the Liberty Media Group. The newly issued LMCK shares will be subject to market co-ordination and lock-up agreements.

The Teams will be given the opportunity to participate in the investment in Formula One, and the detailed terms of that investment will be agreed in due course. Certain teams have already expressed an interest in investing after completion of the acquisition.

The interest in Formula One already acquired by Liberty Media, and the remaining interest to be acquired upon the closing of the acquisition, along with $4.1 billion of existing Formula One debt (which will be non-recourse to Liberty Media) and $0.7 billion in Formula One cash, is being attributed to the Liberty Media Group tracking stock.

Upon completion of the acquisition, the Liberty Media Group will be renamed the Formula One Group and the ticker symbols for the Series A, Series B and Series C Liberty Media Group tracking stocks will be changed from LMC (A/B/K), respectively, to FWON (A/B/K), respectively. Formula One will remain based in London.

The completion of the acquisition is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of: (i) certain clearances and approvals by antitrust and competition law authorities in various countries, (ii) certain third-party consents and approvals, including that of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the governing body of Formula One, and (iii) the approval of Liberty Media's stockholders of the issuance of LMCK shares in connection with the acquisition and the name change of the Liberty Media Group to the Formula One Group, and is expected to close by the first quarter of 2017. 

Additional information regarding the acquisition and Formula One will be included in a proxy statement to be filed by Liberty Media with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the matters to be voted upon by Liberty Media's stockholders described above.

Liberty Media's President and CEO, Greg Maffei and Formula One's Chairman, Chase Carey will host an investor conference call at 6:00pm ET /4:00pm MT on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 to discuss the acquisition in more detail. The call can be accessed by dialing: (i) (844) 838-8043 (U.S. / Canada), (ii) (678) 509-7480 (International) or (iii) 0800-028-8438 (U.K.) at least 10 minutes prior to the start time. 

The call will also be broadcast live across the internet and archived on Liberty Media's website. Presentation materials to be used during the investor call have been posted to the Liberty Media website. 

To access the webcast and the accompanying presentation materials go tohttp://www.libertymedia.com/events. An archive of the webcast will also be available on Liberty Media's website for one year after appropriate filings have been made with the SEC. 

Relevant images for media use will be posted to Liberty Media's website under the "What's New" section of theLiberty Media homepage.

Morgan Stanley is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Baker Botts LLP is serving as legal advisor to Liberty Media. Goldman Sachs International is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Weil, Gotshal & Manges are serving as legal advisers to Delta Topco.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the proposed acquisition of Formula One, the expected benefits of the transaction, other potential third party investments in Formula One, the renaming of the Liberty Media Group and the corresponding change in ticker symbols and other matters that are not historical facts. 

These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including, without limitation, the satisfaction of conditions to the proposed acquisition of Formula One. 

These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Liberty Media expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Liberty Media's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. 

Please refer to the publicly filed documents of Liberty Media, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for risks and uncertainties related to Liberty Media's business which may affect the statements made in this press release.

Additional Information

Nothing in this press release shall constitute a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of Liberty Media's Series C Liberty Media common stock or any other series of its common stock. 

Liberty Media stockholders and other investors are urged to read the proxy statement to be filed with the SEC because it will contain important information relating to the proposed acquisition of Formula One. 

Copies of Liberty Media's SEC filings are available free of charge at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). 

Copies of the filings together with the materials incorporated by reference therein will also be available, without charge, by directing a request to Investor Relations, (720) 875-5420.

Participants in a Solicitation

The directors and executive officers of Liberty Media and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of any proposals relating to the proposed acquisition of Formula One. 

Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Liberty Media and other participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their respective direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be available in the proxy materials regarding the foregoing to be filed with the SEC.

About Liberty Media Corporation

Liberty Media Corporation operates and owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those businesses are attributed to three tracking stock groups: the Liberty SiriusXM Group, the Liberty Braves Group and the Liberty Media Group. 

The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group (Nasdaq: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK) include our interest in SiriusXM. 

The businesses and assets attributed to theLiberty Braves Group (Nasdaq: BATRA, BATRK) include our subsidiary Braves Holdings, LLC. 

The businesses and assets attributed to the Liberty Media Group (Nasdaq: LMCA, LMCK) consist of all of Liberty Media Corporation's businesses and assets other than those attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group and the Liberty Braves Group, including its interests in Live Nation Entertainment and Formula One, and minority equity investments in Time Warner Inc. and Viacom.

About CVC Capital Partners

CVC Capital Partners is one of the world's leading private equity and investment advisory firms. Founded in 1981, CVC today has a network of 24 offices and over 400 employees throughout Europe, Asia and the US. 

To date, CVC has secured commitments of over US$85 billion in funds from a diverse and loyal investor base, completing over 300 investments in a wide range of industries and countries across the globe, with an aggregate enterprise purchase value of over US$250 billion.

For further information about CVC, please visit: www.cvc.com.

	1)		Calculated at time of transaction announcement.
	2)		Other than a nominal number of shares held by certain Formula One teams.
	3)		65% based on the undiluted share count as of 7/31/2016 and is inclusive of the dilutive impact of the $351 million exchangeable debt instrument.

World Champions in Art, announces that the entire 32-­piece collection has been acquired by Sebastian Vettel

• Champions Collection for Champion Driver

World Champions in Art, the entity which was created to celebrate the achievement of all 32 of the FIA's world champion drivers in individual artistic depictions, is delighted to announce that the entire 32-­piece collection has been acquired by Sebastian Vettel, himself a four-­times World Champion.

Even before making his F1 début with BMW in 2007, Sebastian harboured a deep interest in the history of his chosen sport. His personal collection of sporting memorabilia already includes autographs of his 31 illustrious predecessors. Now he is the proud possessor of the collection of champions' images created by recognised international artist Mark Dickens in collaboration with Keith Sutton of Sutton Images.

Mark Dickens' involvement in the sport dates back to 2009.  After he had been commissioned by Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management to commemorate the opening of the new Yas Marina circuit, his work came to the attention of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.  Mr Ecclestone then commissioned him to create a series of paintings, one for each of that year's Grand Prix rounds. The commission brought together the high-­tension world of Formula One with the architectural and cultural dynamism of each host city.

The images of the champion drivers have been produced in Dickens' trademark style. He uses mixed media, building layer upon layer of photographic transfers, hand­made paper, gold leaf, fabric, resin paint and text. 

As an integral part of each painting, drivers and leading motorsport personalities were asked to express in their own words what made their chosen World Champion special. The quotes have been incorporated by Mark into each painting, providing a fascinating insight into what each driver represented to those who knew him or were inspired by him.  *See attached page  (Each person who agreed to write a quote will be given a limited edition print as agreed).

Sebastian Vettel:

“I have long held an interest in the history of Formula 1 and the champions of this sport.

When I first heard of this project from Keith Sutton three years ago I was fascinated, but it wasn’t until I saw the completed original art works in London last December that I realised how impressive they are.

The addition of the quotes collected by Keith from so many different motorsport figures gives a great insight into the champions. I know I will appreciate these works for years to come.”

Bernie Ecclestone:

"I first became aware of Mark Dickens work in 2009. In 2011 I commissioned Mark to create 19 paintings, showcasing each of that years’ races. The following year we presented each painting to the respective promoter.

I was delighted to see that Mark had teamed up with Keith Sutton to collaborate on this new series. World Champions in Art.

There has never been a collaboration like this before.

I've known Keith Sutton since he started his career in Motorsport photography almost 40 years ago. He has demonstrated to me his enduring passion for the history of the sport.

Now that Sebastian has acquired the collection of 32 World champions how appropriate it is to know that the works now belong to a World Champion."

Keith Sutton:

"I was delighted to be involved in such a unique project, the likes of which will never be repeated.

I would like to send my heartfelt thanks to everyone that helped to make this possible. To all the 215 motorsport personalities from drivers, team principals, team managers, journalists and photographers to current F1 drivers and past drivers who gave hand written quotes and of course the artist Mark Dickens whose unique style complimented the images from the Phipps/Sutton Images Collection.”

Mark Dickens:

“It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Keith Sutton on this project.

I first approached Keith about my idea to realise this project some 3 years ago. He was delighted to be part of this historic series of Artworks and Quotes.

It’s a proud day for me to know that the 32 paintings now belong to a great World Champion.

In addition to the 32 paintings, we produced a painting about Bernie Ecclestone with the sale proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital. There will be a cheque presented to the charity at Silverstone during the British GP this week."

Featured Quotes

A selection of some of the quotes featured in the World Champions in Art Collection:

“For me, Juan Manuel Fangio will always be the greatest Formula One driver. A man of enormous talent, humility, honesty, honour and integrity. A man I admired.  It was an honour to compete against him and an even greater honour to become his teammate.  He was a wonderful friend and teacher.  It has been my pleasure to follow him on the track and in life.”

Sir Stirling Moss OBE

“As a child in the 1960’s my Uncle took me to Brands Hatch and Silverstone to see the Grand Prix. His words were always ‘we’re going to see Jim Clark win’. Jim Clark was one of the all time great drivers and a true sportsman.  His driving style and still behind the wheel was supreme and silky smooth.  I never had the chance to meet him but its clear to me that he was a gentleman and a good human being. I was out at a rally with my Father when we heard that Jim Clark had died. I remember the moment and location to this day. The truly great so often die young.”

Martin Brundle, Former Formula One Driver, Sky F1 Commentator

James Hunt “Genius, Legend, Party Animal, Playboy……World Champion….Perfect!"

Kimi Raikkonen, 2007 F1 World Champion

“I have known a number of great drivers during my time in motorsport.  Some I raced against or drove for my team.  Others I have watched from the sidelines. Ferrari played a special part in my life, and I have always considered it as unfinished business.  Fernando Alonso must be feeling the same way after performing some great drives for the team. Michael Schumacher achieved in being part of an international team at Maranello much of what I had dreamt was possible.  I therefore nominate Michael Schumacher as being a special World Champion.”

John Surtees OBE, Four-time 500cc Motorcycle World Champion, Former Formula One World Champion in 1964

“I never really got on with Nelson (Piquet) that much.  Nelson was reasonably arrogant and ill mannered. Apart from that he was a lovely bloke.”

Alan Jones, F1 World Champion 1980

“Michael Schumacher – Steel on the outside but a soft heart to those who were part of the team. The ultimate professional who raised the bar in so many areas. Never finished a race fatigued, had a razor sharp mind and a huge driving talent. Not hard to see why he won seven World Championships. Nobody who worked with Michael has a bad word to say about him – The Ultimate Accolade?”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal Mercedes 2013

“Jochen Rindt was a pure racer. He became a true inspiration when I was becoming a man. He was a lunatic in a very positive way, seeking out for any possible challenge on 4 wheels. His loss was tragic as he had so much more to give to Formula 1. He was a great champion. Shame I never met him!”

Sebastian Vettel,Formula One Four-Time World Champion

Renault confirms return to Formula One after the purchase of Team Lotus has been finalised.

• Carlos Ghosn announces his decision that Renault will return to Formula 1 with its own team for 2016 season.
• Renault, 12-time Constructor’s Champion with nearly 40 years in the sport, is an iconic brand in Formula 1 and intends to play an active role in the sport’s development.
• F1 is a technology showcase and accelerates development of the Renault’s innovation and range of sports cars.

Following the September announcement of the signing of a Letter of Intent with Lotus, teams at Renault continued to evaluate the possibility of a return to Formula 1. Particular attention was paid to competing successfully with its own team in a financially sound way starting in 2016.

“Renault had two options: to come back at 100 percent or leave. After a detailed study, I have decided that Renault will be in Formula 1, starting 2016. The final details supplied by F1’s main stakeholders gave us the confidence to accept this new challenge. Our ambition is to win--even if it will take some time,” said Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO, Renault.

As a full team, Renault will take maximum benefit from its victories. The payback as an engine supplier proved to be limited. The return on the investment necessitated by the new engine regulations and the return in terms of image were low. 

Work continues on finalizing the terms of the acquisition of the Lotus F1 team in the shortest timeframe possible. The principal contracts were signed on December 3, 2015. The Lotus F1 Team effectively stands out as the best partner. Renault and Lotus F1 have known each other for 15 years and were world champions together in 2005 and 2006.

Renault has had uninterrupted involvement in Formula 1 for almost 40 years. In 1977, it revolutionised the championship with the introduction of turbocharging, a technique that soon became the norm in the sport. Renault has since taken part in more than 600 grand prix, claiming 168 race wins, 12 Constructors’ titles and 11 Drivers’ crowns.

Renault’s decision to continue its involvement in Formula 1 is confirmation that it sees motorsport as an essential part of the brand’s identity. Formula 1 is the ultimate symbol of the passion for automobiles. Passion is defines Renault as expressed by its brand signature, ‘Passion for Life’. 

In addition to attracting many customers, Formula 1 also fuels employee motivation. As the pinnacle of motor sports, Formula 1 demands technological and operational excellence. The championship serves as a showcase for the technological expertise that Renault dials into its products for the benefit of its customers.

Formula 1 is a means for Renault to accelerate development and remain at the forefront of the sport’s technological progress. It simultaneously allows Renault to build bridges between the advanced technologies seen in the world championship and its road cars, particularly in the fields of electric and hybrid vehicles. Consistent with its commitment to F1, 

Renault will develop its R.S. range by stepping up investment in order to be active on every continent and in even more segments with vehicles that meet the needs of their different markets.

Formula 1 serves to promote awareness of the Renault brand and its image in all its markets across the world. Formula 1 is one of the sports that enjoys the most media coverage worldwide thanks to a following on five continents, particulary in emerging markets. It attracts 450 million television viewers annually and Its scope for growth is enormous thanks to opportunities founded on new technologies, social networks, video games, etc. that have yet to be fully exploited.

In January, we will provide more detailed information about Renault’s F1 programme ahead of the 2016 championship that begins next March

The FIA held its latest World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris and the F1 Calendar has been announced.

The FIA held its latest World Motor Sport Council meeting today in Paris.

During the Council meeting, the following decisions were taken:

FIA Formula One World Championship

The World Motor Sport Council approved, by a near unanimous number (just one vote against), a mandate for the FIA President, Jean Todt and the Representative of the Commercial Rights Holder, Bernie Ecclestone to make recommendations and decisions regarding a number of pressing issues in Formula One such as governance, Power Units and cost reduction. Mr Todt and Mr Ecclestone expressed their intention to establish conclusions on these matters by 31 January, 2016.

The World Motor Sport Council also approved a number of changes to the F1 Technical and Sporting Regulations.

Technical

The number of power unit tokens allowed for in-season development will be allocated as follows over the coming seasons:

-        2016 – 32

-        2017 – 25

-        2018 – 20

-        2019 – 15

Any new Power Unit manufacturer will be allocated 15 tokens in their first year, and 32 in their second.

The padded areas around the driver’s head have been increased in thickness for improved safety.

Sporting

Changes have been approved by the World Motor Sport Council in regard to the way that tyres are used by teams in order to encourage differing race strategies in 2016. These include:

-        The tyre supplier will now provide three dry-weather compounds instead of two

-        Of the 13 sets of dry tyres available to each driver, the tyre supplier will choose two for the race (only one of which must be used in the race), and one set (the softest available) that may only be used in Q3. Each driver may then choose their remaining ten sets from the three available compounds

-        Unless intermediate or wet-weather tyres have been used, a driver must use at least two different specifications of dry-weather tyres – at least one of these must be the one chosen by the tyre supplier.

In the event of a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), DRS will now be re-enabled immediately after the VSC period. Furthermore, the VSC may also be used in practice sessions to reduce the amount of time lost during a stoppage.

Power Units homologated in previous seasons may now be re-homologated. Previously no manufacturer could supply more than one specification of PU. The World Motor Sport Council was also advised that the FIA had agreed for Ferrari to supply a fourth customer team with a 2015-specification Power Unit in 2016.

The maximum number of Championship events in a season has been increased to 21 (from 20). The calendar for the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship has been confirmed:

20 March	Melbourne	Australia
3 April	Bahrain	Bahrain
17 April	Shanghai	China
1 May	Sochi	Russia
15 May	Barcelona	Spain
29 May	Monte Carlo	Monaco
12 June	Montreal	Canada
19 June	Baku	Azerbaijan*
3 July	Spielberg	Austria
10 July	Silverstone	United Kingdom
24 July	Budapest	Hungary
31 July	Hockenheim	Germany
28 August	Spa-Francorchamps	Belgium
4 September	Monza	Italy
18 September	Singapore	Singapore
2 October	Sepang	Malaysia
9 October	Suzuka	Japan
23 October	Austin	USA**
30 October	Mexico City	Mexico
13 November	Sao Paolo	Brazil
27 November	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates

*race start to be scheduled to avoid conflict with the conclusion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

**subject to agreement with the promoter and the ASN

FIA Formula 2 Championship

The World Motor Sport Council gave a mandate to the President to formalise the contract between the FIA and the GP2 promoter for the establishment of the FIA Formula 2 Championship to complete the FIA’s single-seater pyramid from Karting to Formula One.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

The 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship calendar was approved by the World Motor Sport Council:

3 April	Paul Ricard	France
24 April	Hungaroring	Hungary
15 April	Pau	France
22 May	Spielberg	Austria
26 June	Norisring	Germany
17 July	Zandvoort	Netherlands
30 July	Spa-Francorchamps	Belgium*
11 September	Nurburgring	Germany
2 October	Imola	Italy
16 October	Hockenheim	Germany

*subject to contractual agreement with the promoter

In order to further stabilise the current F3 market, keep costs under control and allow regional F3 projects to grow, the lifetime of the current F3 chassis is extended until the end of 2019. A safety update kit will be introduced in 2017 or 2018. Details of the safety updates carried out will be submitted to the June 2016 WMSC.

The World Motor Sport Council also accepted the Single-Seater Commission’s recommendation to emphasise the importance of developing Regional Formula 3 championships around the world. This is designed to promote the progression of young drivers into FIA championships once they are ready to graduate from their National F4 championships – at the end of the 2016 season, there will be 300 Formula 4 drivers and the focus for the FIA is to ensure that these drivers have somewhere to go.

FIA Formula E Championship

The World Motor Sport Council confirmed Mexico City on this season’s Formula E calendar, with an event scheduled for 12 March.

FIA World Endurance Championship

The World Motor Sport Council approved technical measures proposed by the Endurance Commission to make the FIA World Endurance Championship more appealing for new manufacturers to enter in the LMP1 category. These include regulations around ICEs, hybrid systems, aerodynamics, wind tunnel use and track test limitations.

The proposed calendar for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship was approved:

17 April	6 Hours of Silverstone	Great Britain
7 May	6 Hours of Spa	Belgium
18/19 June	24 Hours of Le Mans	France
24 July	6 Hours of Nurburgring	Germany
4 September	6 Hours of Mexico City	Mexico
17 September	6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas	USA
16 October	6 Hours of Fuji	Japan
6 November	6 Hours of Shanghai	China
19 November	6 Hours of Bahrain	Bahrain

*subject to contractual agreement with the promoter

To continue the improvement of the safety of GT cars, the installation of racing nets homologated to FIA standard 8863-2013 will be mandatory in LMGTE cars to restrict the range of movement of a driver in the case of an accident. This measure has already been applied to GT3 cars.

FIA World Touring Car Championship

The World Motor Sport Council confirmed the introduction of the Manufacturers Against the Clock (MAC3) time-trial concept to the 2016 WTCC after qualifying at each race weekend that will contribute to the Manufacturers’ Championship. For this, each manufacturer will nominate three cars to participate in a two-lap “qualifying” run – the time will be stopped when the last car has crossed the finish line. Drivers participating in MAC3 will receive an extra set of tyres for the session.

The WTCC’s partial reverse grid race will now be Race 1 of the weekend from 2016 (it had been the second final race).

The provisional 2016 World Touring Car Championship calendar was approved by the World Motor Sport Council: 

20 March	TBD	TBD
3 April	Paul Ricard	France
17 April	Slovakiaring	Slovakia
24 April	Hungaroring	Hungary
8 May	Marrakech	Morocco
29 May	Nordschleife	Germany
12 June	Vila Real	Portugal
7 August	Termas de Rio Hondo	Argentina
4 September	Motegi	Japan
25 September	Shanghai	China
6 November	Buriram	Thailand
25 November	Losail	Qatar

CIK-FIA Karting

The World Motor Sport Council confirmed the introduction of single-cylinder engines in the Superkart category for Division 1 to reduce costs for competitors.

The establishment of a CIK-FIA Endurance Championship was approved for 2016, comprising a 24-hour race on 17-18 September at Le Mans, organised by the ACO.

FIA World Rally Championship

From 2016, WRC Organisers will be obliged to undertake the environmental certification process provided by the FIA before the event visa is delivered.

The 2016 WRC calendar was also confirmed:

22-24 January	Monte Carlo
12-14 February	Sweden
4-6 March	Mexico
22-24 April	Argentina
20-22 May	Portugal
10-12 June	Italy
1-3 July	Poland
29-31 July	Finland
19-21 August	Germany
9-11 September	China
30 September – 2 October	France
14-16 October	Spain
28-30 October	Great Britain
18-20 November	Australia

FIA World Rallycross Championship

The World Motor Sport Council approved the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship calendar:

16-17 April	Montalegre	Portugal
7-8 May	Hockenheim	Germany
14-15 May	Mettet	Belgium
28-29 May	Lydden Hill	Great Britain
11-12 June	Hell	Norway
2-3 July	Holjes	Sweden
6-7 August	Trois-Rivieres	Canada
3-4 September	Loheac	France
17-18 September	Barcelona	Spain
1-2 October	Riga	Latvia
15-16 October	Estering	Germany
26-27 October	Rosario	Argentina

FIA European Rallycross Championship competitors will now be separated from World RX drivers in Supercar qualifying heats.

FIA Rally Commission

The World Motor Sport Council approved the implementation of a one-hour penalty for any missed stage except for super special stages, where a seven-minute penalty will apply. This is to ensure that competitors running in all stages will always be classified of those that miss a stage.

The format of the FIA European Rally Trophy (ERT) has been amended with the main category being for R5/S2000 cars, ERT 2 for NR4 cars, ERT 3 for two-wheel drive cars, and a Junior Trophy for drivers born on or after 1 January 1989. The ERT will be organised in eight European area trophy competitions. The three highest scoring competitors in each area, and category, will compete in a Final that will be hosted by a different country each year. The winners of the Trophy Finals will be the winners of their respective ERT category.

FIA Hill Climb Commission

All FIA-sanctioned Hill Climb Championships have been reviewed and restructured, while the date for the FIA Hill Climb Masters was confirmed as 8-9 October, 2016 at Sternberk in the Czech Republic.

FIA Safety Commission

A new FIA Safety Harnesses Standard was approved which offers several improvements in relation to the current FIA Standard. The new harnesses will give protection to drivers during much severe crashes. The crash pulse severity is increased from 30 g to more than 60 g. The new standard will be implemented as from 1.1.2017 in Formula One, WEC, WRC and WTCC and then cascade down to all the FIA championships.

The World Motor Sport Council also approved the creation of a specification for extractable seats to be used in open cockpit cars. These are already used to some degree, however there are some cases where the seats do not meet the FIA specification.

FIA Drivers’ Commission

Emerson Fittipaldi, President of the Drivers’ Commission and two-time FIA Formula One World Champion has stepped down from the presidency to the position of Vice-President.

Nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen will assume the role of President of the FIA Drivers’ Commission.

FIA European Drag Racing Championship

The World Motor Sport Council approved the addition of the final round of the championship in Malta at the Malta Drag Raceway from 30 September to 2 October.

FIA Hall of Fame

The World Motor Sport Council approved the establishment of an FIA Hall of Fame, which will be launched at the 2016 FIA Sport Conference next June.