Formula One news

Former FIA president Balestre passes away

The former president of the FIA, Jean-Marie Balestre has passed away on Friday at the age of 86. The Frenchman was the FIA's president from 1986 and was replaced in 1991 by FIA's current president Max Mosley.

Ecclestone vs. Balestre

Balestre was heavily involved in what is colloquially called the FISA-FOCA war, a political battle over finances and control of the Formula One World Championships between 1980 and 1982. Balestre and his opponent, Bernie Ecclestone, settled the dispute after Enzo Ferrari brokered a compromise. Balestre signed the first Concorde Agreement, under which FOCA was granted the commercial rights to Formula One while the FIA retained control of all sporting and technical regulations.

Balestre is credited with establishing specific crash test requirements for Formula One cars, significantly improving the safety of the sport. He was also a key proponent of the switch to naturally aspirated engines in 1989, also arguing that such a move was essential for safety reasons. However, Balestre has also been accused of using his power for more than it was intended. In 1989, after Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost collided at Suzuka, there were implications in Autosport Magazine that Balestre was involved in manipulating the World Championship in favor of Prost, as Senna was disqualified from race victory, fined, and suspended. This ultimately led to Max Mosley's decision to run for the FISA presidency. However, when Senna deliberately rammed into Prost in 1990 at the same Suzuka circuit, Balestre did not intervene or sanction the Brazilian.

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