The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Environmental Accreditation Programme is a framework designed to help motorsport and mobility stakeholders measure and enhance their environmental performance. Geobrugg has been awarded the three-star Environmental Accreditation by the FIA, making it the first circuit safety solution provider to receive the highest level of recognition for its commitment to environmental sustainability.

The three-star rating is reserved for those demonstrating best practice and a commitment to continual improvement through a robust environmental management system.

“Achieving the FIA three-star environmental accreditation is a proud moment for Geobrugg,” said Jochen Braunwarth, director of motorsport solutions at Geobrugg. “Sustainability is no longer an option; it is a necessity. As the first safety solution provider to reach this level, we are proving that high-performance track safety and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. This recognition validates our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint while maintaining the world-class protection our partners expect.”

Commitment to best practice

To achieve the rating, Geobrugg underwent a comprehensive audit of its operations, evaluating 17 criteria including energy consumption, supply chain management, transportation planning and waste reduction. Key highlights of Geobrugg’s environmental strategy include resource efficiency, such as using high-tensile steel that offers superior strength with less material weight, reducing the carbon intensity of transport and installation.

Geobrugg was also assessed on its carbon reduction efforts, and praised for implementing localized production and streamlined logistics to minimize emissions across global projects, as well as a focus on a circular economy focusing on the longevity and recyclability of steel components, ensuring that safety barriers provide a multi-decade lifecycle.

Recent news, AVL and Ansible advance vehicle validation with integrated simulation and driver-in-the-loop testing

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The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has approved the first karting seat with roll-hoop attachment to facilitate the participation of disabled drivers in karting events.

Following approval from the World Motor Sport Council today, the fiberglass high seat features an innovative lamination developed by Vita Carbon for enhanced impact resistance. It can be used in karting races aligned to the FIA Karting Guidelines for Drivers with Disabilities document. Designed with an integrated roll hoop, the seat provides additional attachment points for competitors who require safety-belt anchoring for torso stability, offering drivers with disabilities additional support to enable them to race safely.

Development of the device was led by FIA Disability & Accessibility Commission member and paraplegic driver Fabio Visentin and Vita Carbon, with the support of the FIA safety department. It is envisaged that the seat, which is optional for drivers with disabilities competing in karting, will support a new generation of disabled racers into the entry point of motorsport.

Visentin said, “The development and testing of this new roll hoop represent a significant step forward for the safety of karters with disabilities. Ensuring that every driver can compete with the highest protection standards is our top priority. Our goal was to create a product that was not only safe and rigorously tested but also high performing, ensuring it does not interfere with the chassis’ flexibility. Karters with disabilities now have access to a product that has all these features, and I want to thank Vita Carbon for the development and the FIA for their support in this project.”

FIA safety director Nuno Costa added, “Safety should complement accessibility, and we’ve been proud to work on this project with Fabio to raise safety standards for karting drivers with disabilities. The karting high seat is a simple but important innovation that facilitates drivers to safely compete, and I hope it will provide every karting driver with disabilities with greater confidence and independence.”

As a result of today’s decision, homologated karting high seats up to 32cm have been approved with immediate effect in karting events. It is expected that they will first be deployed at races in early 2026.

In related news, WRC set for UK return with Rally Scotland

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Product safety certification provider Kiwa has conducted a comprehensive testing program at Silverstone to assess the spectator barriers’ structural integrity and compliance with safety regulations.

With thousands of motorsport fans attending the British F1 Grand Prix and MotoGP at Silverstone, ensuring spectator safety – and meeting modern sports ground safety regulations – remains a top priority for the circuit’s management across its 25 permanent and temporary grandstands.

Driving barrier testing

To maintain a safe environment, barrier testing is conducted to ensure total confidence in structural integrity and performance for optimum crowd control and the preventing falls.

Delivering a strategy of enhanced safety means undertaking regular risk assessments and testing regimes as part of programs to identify and address potential safety issues before they can lead to accidents.

Kiwa worked with DSA Group to undertake barrier tests on several structures, including the BRDC, COPSE, Lakeside and Luffield stands. All the testing was undertaken in accordance with Chapter 11 of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds sixth edition (2018).

Chris Forshaw, construction and utilities cluster director at Kiwa, said, “Offering a strong track record in testing sporting structures and leisure facilities, we worked with the DSA Group to carry out a testing program for several spectator stands at Silverstone. With massive crowds regularly attending world famous events at the venue, such testing ensures a safe environment for all and meets the prevailing safety standards.”

The program involved applying test loads centrally between supports using hydraulic cylinders. The loads were measured with a calibrated pressure gauge, and deflection was monitored using dial gauges at the point of maximum movement.

Each test included a bedding cycle conforming to the design force, followed by two applications of the test load. The deflection and recovery data were then used to assess compliance with the safety specifications.

Following the testing procedures, all the barriers at Silverstone were found to comply with the required safety standards.

Chris Forshaw said, “For those charged with operating and managing heavily used spaces such as sports arenas and other leisure facilities, visitor safety is the number one priority.”

In related news, FIA selects Siemens as official digital twin sponsor

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Aston Martin’s latest Vantage S has become an official FIA safety car in Formula 1. This performance-focused addition to Aston Martin’s S models made its F1 debut at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.

With its hand-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 680ps and 800Nm of torque, the specially equipped Vantage S delivers 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 325km/h. These speeds enable it to lead the world’s fastest racing cars under safety car conditions. Additional aerodynamic upgrades, including a new rear deck spoiler and regular additions such as the FIA lightbar have been engineered for optimum stability and visibility during deployment.

Alex Long, global marketing director at Aston Martin, said, “Vantage S represents the peak of performance for the model that is the beating heart of the Aston Martin brand. With increased power and even greater dynamic prowess, this car was destined to take on the prestigious role as an F1 safety car. It will be a source of great pride for our colleagues and our customers to see it leading the pack whenever it is called upon. In terms of brand awareness, nothing can compete with Formula, and we are proud to play our part in what we believe is the greatest show on Earth.”

Visually, the Vantage S features new centrally mounted hood blades to optimize the extraction of hot air from the hot-V configured V8 engine. It also has a full-width decklid spoiler, which increases rear downforce and helps keep the overall balance of downforce biased to the front. This gives official safety car driver Bernd Mayländer exceptional turn-in response and a high level of cornering grip.

Mayländer said, “The introduction of the Vantage S as the official FIA safety car of Formula 1 represents yet another clear step forward in the Vantage’s performance capability, exhibiting capabilities that further allow me to effectively respond quickly and safely when we receive the call for on-track deployment. I’m delighted to be one of the very first to drive the Vantage S, and look forward to experiencing the world’s greatest circuits in the most performance-focused Vantage to date.”

In related news, the Toyota GR Supra has been chosen to be the official pace car for the 2025 National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Championships, marking the third GR Sports car to carry out the duties for NASA’s Nationals

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UK-based sensor technology specialist Metis Engineering has partnered with California’s Lightfighter Racing to advance the safety and performance of electric superbikes on the racetrack. Lightfighter will integrate Metis Engineering’s Cell Guard battery safety sensor into its Lightfighter v3.0 electric motorcycle.

Lightfighter Racing, founded by electric motorcycle pioneers Brian Wiseman and Ely Schless, says it is on a mission to challenge the long-standing dominance of internal combustion engines in motorsport.

Metis Engineering CEO Joe Holdsworth said, “We’re proud to be supporting Lightfighter Racing in their ambitious engineering program. Motorsport is the ultimate testing ground; there’s nothing quite like it for pushing boundaries and exploring the limits of performance. Cell Guard was designed precisely for these conditions, providing the real-time battery health diagnostics needed to do so safely and confidently.”

The Lightfighter v3.0 features a water-cooled Parker GVM 210 IPM AC motor that delivers 115kW (154hp), 324Nm of torque at the gearbox output, and a peak speed of over 11,000rpm. It is paired with an actively air-cooled lithium-NMC battery pack operating at a nominal voltage of 383V (440V peak), capable of supplying over 300A of peak current. With a total weight of 181kg, the electric motorcycle is designed to deliver performance comparable to conventional gasoline-powered superbikes.

Recognizing the inherent thermal and safety challenges associated with high-performance battery systems, Wiseman’s team turned to Metis Engineering’s Cell Guard sensor to provide an additional layer of real-time monitoring and fault detection.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Cell Guard is a compact multi-parameter sensor that detects early indicators of battery failure, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), temperature spikes, pressure increases, humidity shifts, moisture ingress, shock and impact loads, as well as the presence of hydrogen. These environmental parameters are crucial in identifying the early stages of thermal runaway events – potentially catastrophic failures that traditional battery management systems (BMS) often miss.

Wiseman explained, “Through our racing efforts, we realized that conventional battery monitoring systems often react too late in such a dynamic environment as motorsport to prevent damage and potential escalation from a cell issue. We needed a way to detect the earliest signs of cell distress though off-gassing, which Cell Guard has been able to provide us with. This early detection of an issue with the cell has become an important and valuable addition to our overall safety strategy.”

Integrating the Cell Guard sensor into Lightfighter’s Motec-based vehicle management and data acquisition system has reportedly contributed to enhanced safety monitoring and analytical insights. During race testing, the team observed spikes in VOC readings when overtaking gasoline-powered bikes. After investigation, they discovered that Cell Guard was detecting exhaust gases being drawn into the battery cooling system, highlighting the sensor’s sensitivity and offering new data on external environmental influences affecting the vehicle.

According to Lightfighter, the sensor has also proved to be a valuable educational tool for engineers and riders unfamiliar with electric propulsion. “Electric racing is inevitably going to be a larger part of all forms of motorsport in the future,” added Wiseman. “We’re excited to be a part of that future and shape how to do it safely. Metis Engineering’s Cell Guard has become a critical tool in that effort.”

In related news, VI-grade recently announced that Czinger Vehicles has implemented VI-CarRealTime, VI-grade’s real-time vehicle simulation environment, to support the virtual development of its performance road vehicles

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The FIA has been working on the development of a steering damper to prevent hand injuries in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Accidents, such as those sustained by Envision Racing‘s Robin Frijns and NEOM McLaren‘s Sam Bird, triggered the FIA to investigate what was to blame.

The process of engineering a solution involved a painstaking procedure from testing and simulation to final validation. The investigation found that the front-end shunts caused the steering wheel to rotate up to 10 times faster than usual. This discovery prompted a suite of solutions, from modifying the steering wheel’s shape to adding foam inside the cockpit and redesigning the front wing to better protect the car’s front wheels.

The most significant adaptation, however, was a new steering damper. The damper absorbs the energy of the impact and reduces the peak rotational speed in such situations by as much as 40%. There have been no repeat injuries since its introduction.

FIA safety director Nuno Costa, FIA chief technical and safety officer Xavier Mestelan Pinon and ABB FIA Formula E World Championship medical delegate Bruno Franceschini played key roles in the development

“Basically, I broke my hand inside the cockpit because I wasn’t expecting the steering wheel to suddenly come out of my hands,” said Frijns. “Unfortunately, I had quite some damage because I broke the bone in three places.

“My injury was quite bad, but the FIA is pushing hard to make it safer for us and they’ve made big steps from that moment onward. I think the steering damper is a very good tool. If you have a crash, the damper takes all the force away from the wheel so it doesn’t really move out of your hands anymore.”

In related news, Formula E and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile have announced a 10-year extension for the continued promotion of the FIA Formula E World Championship within the all-electric single-seater category. Read the full story here

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Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced that Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) will use the Siemens Xcelerator software portfolio to develop the next-generation Mono, its single-seater, road-legal race car.

Developed to be equally at home on the road as it is on the track, the 570kg Mono supercar is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5L powertrain which develops 311bhp and 313Nm of torque, which translates to a power-to-weight ratio of 546 hp-per-metric ton.

With optimal weight distribution and a lightweight structure featuring BAC’s graphene-infused carbon panels, the Mono accelerates to 60mph in 2.7 seconds. However, the team aims to significantly improve this number in the next generation vehicle.

To push the limits of high-performance automotive design, BAC’s senior management and design team reevaluated their core development technologies and chose Siemens’ NX X from the Designcenter suite for the next-generation Mono’s engineering.

“Anything that helps us be ahead of the game and be ahead of anybody else. The reason we chose Siemens’ Designcenter software to develop the next generation of Mono is because it’s the best – and it gives us the tools we need to take our vision to the next level,” said Ian Briggs, design director and co-founder.

“Our vision was to create a car that simply didn’t exist. The fundamental principle of a sports car is choosing excitement over utility, and we took that to the nth degree. Mono is that philosophy made real—a vehicle without compromise, built to prove that being ahead of the game means refusing to compromise on the driving experience.”

The challenge of homologation

BAC’s move to Designcenter is intended to address the challenge of serving a global customer base and certifying that a vehicle complies with the regulatory and safety standards set in a particular region or country.

Briggs explained, “A key challenge for us is homologating the car for the global market. Understanding the specific positional requirements for everything from headlights to driver sight lines is a complex minefield. The great advantage of Designcenter is that it allows us to build that entire regulatory framework directly into our 3D CAD model, giving us new levels of confidence and a greater speed of development.”

Immersive design

BAC is also exploring ways to enhance the customer buying and customization experience with Siemens’ immersive engineering technology, enabling customers to use immersive XR technology to experience their bespoke vehicles, based on real-world 3D CAD data, presented in high-fidelity realism.

Elliott Marshall, production manager, BAC, said, “The thing that makes BAC truly unique is the bespoke elements. Siemens’ Immersive Engineering technology allows us to present to the customer exactly what they’re ordering. Being able to sit in their seat fitting jig and see all of the personal customizations they want around them, interact with them as if they’re already implemented, is going to get the fire burning within them.”

In related news, Horse Powertrain, via its Aurobay Technologies division, has signed an agreement to supply engines for the ARC2, a new rally car developed by USA-based JRD Motorsport for the American Rally Association’s RC2 class

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Zenvo Automotive has selected Alcon Components to provide a bespoke braking system for its Aurora hypercar program.

Aurora says it will use the latest in bespoke braking system technologies from its new technical partner to “bring the power of the highly efficient bespoke V12 drivetrain under control”.

The newly developed system uses billet monoblock calipers, six-pistons at the front and four-piston at the rear. These are mated with carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) brake discs to provide optimized braking performance and thermal capacity with no detrimental effect on brake pedal feel and feedback, even under extreme conditions. The materials used throughout the braking system have been carefully selected and optimized to offer significant weight savings and “ultimate performance”.

“Delivering power is only one part of the challenge when engineering a true driver’s car. Controlling it and making it usable on road and on track is as important,” explained Jon Gunner, chief technical officer, Zenvo Automotive.

“For a no compromise project like Aurora, the braking system is critical. Driver engagement, being able to harness up to 1,850hp, providing feedback and feel with a hybridized powertrain – each element plays a part in how the Aurora performs.

“Alcon Components have proven themselves to be world-beaters when it comes to delivering systems which can cope at the most extreme levels, and their latest braking system is the perfect fit for the track-focused Agil model, and the more classically styled GT Tur model. Delivering relentless and fade-free performance, when needed, each and every time.”

“We’re thrilled to be chosen as the brake supplier for the Zenvo Aurora Tur and Agil models,” added Steve Hodgkins, chief engineer performance OEM at Alcon. “Zenvo’s commitment to engineering excellence and pushing performance boundaries mirrors our own philosophy at Alcon. This collaboration has allowed us to develop a bespoke braking solution, leveraging our motorsport heritage and advanced technologies to meet the extreme demands of these hypercars. Together, we’ve created a system that delivers exceptional thermal capacity, consistent pedal feel and uncompromising stopping power — fully aligned with Zenvo’s vision of ultimate driver engagement.”

In related news, Rimac Technology has engineered, designed and integrated the battery system, e-axles and electronic control units for the Bugatti Tourbillon hyper sports cars

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MoTeC has launched an ergonomically designed, lightweight racing wheel, engineered with a full carbon-fiber body and an integrated C125 display. Each component has been selected with input from professional FIA series drivers.

Alireza Tashakori, manager of e-mobility business development and application at MoTeC, commented, “We’ve had this idea for a long time. When the opportunity came up with a pilot client, we decided that if we wanted to do this, we would do it as a product off the shelf. So, we seized the opportunity and then worked with some collaborators to make it happen.”

The racing steering wheel is fully FIA marshaling controlled, meaning it is integrated with the FIA’s marshaling system, which allows automated, real-time communication between race control and the driver through the steering wheel’s display or lights.

Tashakori added, “We can split the CAN into private CAM and public CAN. And we offer all the standard logging features that motorsports teams typically require, including secure logging capabilities. This is handled through our KeePass function, which is an encrypted, cloud-based data storage system.”

He continued, “We added the capability to display text to the driver via an external controller, so you can send the CAN command and then you message the driver, in addition to marshaling messages.”

The racing steering wheel is due to be FIA crash tested by the end of the year.

In related news, Cosworth unveiled its next-generation CCW Mk3 steering wheel at the opening round of the IndyCar championship in St Petersburg, Florida, on March 2

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The FIA has introduced a new set of technical guidelines for entry-level touring car racing, aimed at supporting grassroots motorsport in developing countries. The guidelines provide what the FIA says is a flexible framework for member clubs looking to establish affordable club-level racing while meeting essential safety standards.

The guidelines do not impose restrictions on power or vehicle specifications, focusing solely on safety and covering areas such as the safety cage, windows, bodywork, fuel systems, driver safety equipment, cockpit and driver access, brakes, wheels and tires, suspension, steering, electrical system, fire protection and towing. At the same time, they give FIA member clubs flexibility in defining performance aspects to suit local conditions.

“Our role as the FIA, among other things, is to share expertise and know-how with our member clubs and therefore raise the standards at grassroots- and club-level racing,” noted FIA Touring Car Commission chairman Alan Gow. “At the same time, we recognize the fact that grassroots touring car racing must be accessible and adaptable to local conditions. By focusing on safety, these guidelines give the FIA member clubs the freedom to shape their championships while maintaining key safety standards. Even countries with established motorsport, like the UK, should benefit. After the TC Lite rule set release last year, this is another step toward making touring car racing more popular and more accessible than ever before.”

The FIA noted that the guidelines have met with positive reception among member clubs.

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