FIA shares powerful statement after 'wrong claims'

The FIA has released a powerful statement against several claims made by GDPA chairman Alexander Wurz about karting, during a recent interview with publication GPBlog.

In the article which has been heavily refuted by motorsport's world governing body, concerns were raised over technical developments in go-karting, with Wurz claiming that all 20 F1 drivers are behind him. 

The article also included comments from Wurz raising concerns over the safety of the young children racing, insisting the wrong direction was being taken.

Wurz's comments read: "They come up with floors, and with different kinds of wings and downforce settings. 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. We see no benefits to the sport, only downsides. Everyone will want to buy those downforce parts, but its not for the better of sport or drivers."

In response to the article, published on August 19, the FIA has released a lengthy statement outlining the clear technical regulations, prohibiting several of the technical changes claimed by Wurz as having been made.

The FIA's statement read: "The FIA strongly refutes a number of assertions made in comments carried in a recent article published by GPBlog.com. 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.

"To clarify:
·       Article 4.6 of the Karting Technical Regulations, updated by the World Motor Sport Council in February 2025, specifically prohibits alterations to the floor trays of karts.

·       The technical regulations also stipulate that only components expressly approved by the FIA may be used, thereby preventing the use of untested or non-homologated parts.

·       All homologated bodywork must undergo FIA-standard crash testing, ensuring safety and integrity. There are currently five manufacturers who have homologated bodywork parts with a numbering system in place to ensure and track regulatory compliance.

·       Under Article 22 of the Homologation Regulations, bodywork must be air-blow moulded, which inherently prevents adjustable aerodynamic features.

·       Additionally, Article 3.2 of the Technical Regulations prohibits any modifications to homologated bodywork as inferred was possible or taking place in the article.

"The FIA welcomes the opportunity to clarify these points and reiterate the strict regulatory framework in place which ensures consistency, safety, cost containment and fairness in karting.
The claims made in the article regarding alterations are not permitted in FIA-sanctioned Karting events and it is important to note that all components, including bodywork, are tightly controlled through homologation and scrutineering procedures that prevent any unapproved modifications.
 

"We also wish to address the following comment quoted in the article '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. 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."