FIA issues stern statement following media report involving GPDA chairman

The FIA has issued a strongly worded statement addressing assertions made by an F1 publication regarding the future path for karting.

The governing body has responded following an alleged interview published by Dutch website GPBlog with Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman Alex Wurz.

What is Alex Wurz quoted as saying in the interview?

According to the article, all 20 drivers in Formula 1 have made an appeal to the FIA, as well as the karting industry promoters and organisers, to turn away from what is felt to be a “dangerous” development in karting by way of the introduction of aerodynamic components such as floors and wings.

Wurz was reportedly speaking on behalf of all 20 F1 drivers in his role as GPDA Chairman, according to the article, in which the Austrian allegedly outlined his concerns over the direction karting is supposedly taking in the future.

“We all said, this is absolutely insane, because karting is so cool, and all of it will just make it more expensive and perhaps more dangerous,” Wurz is quoted as saying.

“We see no benefits to the sport, only downsides. Everyone will want to buy those downforce parts, but it’s not for the better of sport or drivers.”

According to the quotes attributed to the former F1 driver, he said the developments would only serve to make karting more dangerous for competitors and that, “We think someone has to stand in and say something.”

“We are looking out for the kids in karting, and we are concerned. We think it’s in the wrong direction, and it should be stopped.

“I know the manufacturers want to make technical progress, and also need to look after their business and make some money, but the promoters and parents should say: ‘No, don’t do that’.”

“It is against safety, and it’s against budget, and it’s against overtaking. So why are we doing it?

“If it is for the commercial benefits of the manufacturer, we have to say ‘no, sorry’. Don’t get me wrong, kart manufacturers need to make business, do they can keep supporting the first platform of racing, but this seems to be the wrong direction.”

FIA hit back at statements attributed to Alex Wurz

PlanetF1.com understands that the FIA has taken a dim view of the statements expressed in the article and attributed to Wurz and that the governing body is seeking to speak to the GPDA about the matter.

Sources have indicated that at least some of the F1 drivers were unaware of the topic and the alleged, unfounded developments being made in karting.

A statement from the FIA’s CIK karting department has been issued to PlanetF1.com, in which the governing body outlines how it “strongly refutes” the assertions made in the article.

“The article claims that ‘[Karting] is increasingly allowing aerodynamic parts on the kart’ and that ‘they come up with floors, and with different kinds of wings and downforce settings.’

“These statements are incorrect and misrepresent the CIK-FIA Karting Technical and Homologation Regulations, which govern FIA-sanctioned Karting events and explicitly prohibit modifications to the aerodynamics, wings, or floors of karts.”

Viewing the latest available karting technical regulations, which were last updated by the World Motor Sport Council in February 2025, shows that Article 4.6 specifically prohibits alterations to the floor trays of karts.

“It is mandatory to have a floor tray made of rigid material stretching from the central strut to the front of the chassis frame,” reads the Article.

“The floor tray must fit completely within the perimeter formed by the main tubes, i.e. the central strut, the longitudinal tubes, and the front of the chassis frame, without protruding beyond the central axis of the tubes seen from the top.

“It must be made of a single element, and its surfaces must be uniform, solid, rigid, impenetrable, smooth, without ribs, and of constant thickness.

“The floor tray may be perforated, but the holes must not have a diameter of more than 10 mm, and they must be separated by four times their diameter as a minimum. In addition, two holes with a maximum diameter of 35 mm are allowed for steering column and/or gear shift lever access. The floor tray may be made of composite material.”

Furthermore, Article 3.2 of the Technical Regulations prohibits modifications to homologated bodywork, as the quoted article implies may be occurring.

“Any modification is forbidden if it is not explicitly allowed by the TR or decided by the CIK-FIA for safety reasons,” it reads.

“Modifications refer to any operation likely to change the initial aspect, dimensions, drawings, or photographs of an original homologated part or any other part regulated by the TR.

“Any assembly or modification resulting in altering a regulatory dimension or impeding its control is assumed to be fraudulent and is therefore not allowed.”

Five manufacturers currently supply homologated bodywork parts, with all of these requiring FIA-standard crash testing. This bodywork must be air-blow moulded, inherently preventing adjustable aerodynamic features.

The FIA statement also addresses the quote attributed to Wurz, “We are looking out for the kids in karting, and we are concerned. We think it’s in the wrong direction and it should be stopped…”

“Safety will always be the key priority of the FIA,” the statement read.

“Suggestions that safety has been compromised to accommodate kart upgrades are entirely baseless and untrue.

“In fact, the technical regulations have been strengthened this year to further enhance safety standards. The FIA has, in recent years, developed several new safety standards for karting, such as the karting body protection, karting light panels, and karting helmet standards.

“The FIA continues to strengthen safety standards in karting and will shortly release a completely new safety device for karting.

“The FIA remains deeply committed to making karting more accessible and inclusive.

“Through our Global Karting Plan, we are introducing new categories and competitions such as the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup in November, where standardised karts will ensure technical and financial parity in a competition that identifies and rewards racing talent.”

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