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11 Top Racing Drivers Appointed to Key FIA Positions
Highlights
- FIA names 11 professional drivers as 2026 Smart Driving Challenge ambassadors
- Ambassadors guide teams via app to improve driving safety and sustainability
- AI-powered app gives real-time feedback on driving and fuel efficiency
- Challenge runs until December with seven stages and global leaderboard
- Last season saw 9% average CO2 and battery usage reduction
- Top 20 drivers enter playoffs; finalists compete for World’s Smartest Driver
The FIA names 11 professional drivers as ambassadors for the 2026 FIA Smart Driving Challenge, a season-long program promoting safer, more efficient road driving worldwide.
The group mentors teams through the official app, translating elite motorsport techniques into coaching that lifts safety and sustainability scores for everyday drivers.
FIA appoints 11 professional racers to mentor participants in the 2026 Smart Driving Challenge.
Participants connect vehicles via Bluetooth to an AI-powered platform that scores acceleration, braking, and flow. Real-time feedback targets smoother driving and improved energy or fuel efficiency.
The 2026 format retains seven heats and a global leaderboard, running until December. The top 20 advance to playoffs, with two finalists contesting a live decider for the World’s Smartest Driver title.
Impact data from last season shows a 9 percent average cut in CO2 or battery usage and a 37.5 percent reduction in risky driving versus typical baselines. The best performer neared a 30 percent reduction.
Last season’s participants averaged a 9% cut in CO2 or battery usage, with top drivers approaching 30%.
The ambassador roster spans disciplines and skillsets. Yifei Ye and Malthe Jakobsen represent endurance racing, while Edoardo Mortara brings Formula E racecraft and energy management expertise.
Yohan Rossel, Taylor Gill, and Romet Jürgenson add World Rally Championship insights. Aliyyah Koloc joins from rally-raid, with DTM and GT champion Kelvin van der Linde, Hana Burton, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, and INDY NXT’s Tymek Kucharczyk completing the lineup.
This breadth is deliberate. Endurance specialists emphasize efficiency and consistency, rally drivers focus on anticipation and surface changes, and electric racing experience informs regenerative strategies—all translatable to road driving metrics.
Technically, the app’s AI assesses smoothness through measurable inputs, creating a consistent scoring framework across combustion, hybrid, and electric vehicles. That enables fair comparisons and targeted coaching.
The top 20 drivers reach playoffs before a live final to crown the World’s Smartest Driver.
FIA leadership frames the initiative as a bridge between elite expertise and daily mobility. Small, repeatable improvements—guided by data and pro coaching—compound into meaningful safety gains.
With participation already spanning 97 countries, the 2026 season targets broader reach and deeper engagement. The combination of AI analytics and ambassador mentoring remains central to the FIA’s mobility and safety agenda.
Visual Summary
FIA Names 11 Star Drivers to Lead the 2026 Smart Driving Challenge
97
Countries joined
9%
Avg. emission cut
37.5%
Fewer risky actions
🌍
The race to become
World’s Smartest Driver
is on!
🚦
7 stages, AI coaching, live final showdown in December
🤖
Drive smart, guided by racing’s best, for a safer, greener world.
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
