Jean-Marie Balestre | |
|---|---|
 Balestrec. 1985 | |
| President of theFédération Internationale de l'Automobile | |
| In office 1985 – 23 October 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Alfons von Metternich-Winneburg |
| Succeeded by | Max Mosley |
| President of theFédération Internationale du Sport Automobile | |
| In office 1978–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre Ugeux |
| Succeeded by | Max Mosley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1921-04-09)9 April 1921 Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France |
| Died | 27 March 2008(2008-03-27) (aged 86) Saint-Cloud, Paris, France |
Jean-Marie Balestre (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃maʁibalɛstʁ]; 9 April 1921 – 27 March 2008) was a Frenchmotorsport administrator andjournalist. From 1978 to 1991, Balestre served as president of theFédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA); from 1985 to 1993, he also served as president of theFédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
Born and raised inSaint-Rémy-de-Provence, Balestre initially studied law before becoming an automotive journalist. He was a member of theSchutzstaffel duringWorld War II, reportedly in an undercover role for theFrench Resistance, receiving theLegion of Honour for services to France in 1968. After the war, he worked forRobert Hersant atL'Auto-Journal. He became a founding member of theFédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) in 1950, and was elected as the inaugural president of theCommission Internationale de Karting (CIK) in 1962. After being elected president of the FFSA in 1973, and the FIA'sInternational Sporting Commission (CSI) in 1978, he transformed the latter into FISA that same year.
Balestre led FISA through theFISA–FOCA war with theFormula One Constructors' Association in the early-1980s. The dispute led to theConcorde Agreement in 1987, with the FIA—who Balestre had been elected president of in 1987—retaining control of the sporting and technical regulations ofFormula One and FOCA claiming the commercial rights. He was replaced as president of FISA after losing a leadership election toMax Mosley, and resigned as FIA president in 1993. He remained president of the FFSA until 1996, when he retired from administration.
Balestre is credited with several major safety reforms in motorsport, including the implementation ofcrash testing andnaturally aspirated engines in Formula One, as well as the decision to banGroup B in theWorld Rally Championship. He faced allegations of abusing his power to favourAlain Prost at the1989 Japanese Grand Prix, following histitle-deciding collision withAyrton Senna; he did not intervene thefollowing season, this time favouring Senna.
Balestre was born atSaint-Rémy-de-Provence,Bouches-du-Rhône. He studied law in Paris, and afterwards worked as a journalist on a number of publications.[1]
Details of Balestre's activities during World War II are unknown. He was a member of the French Nazi division of theSS. When photographs began to circulate of Balestre wearing a German uniform, he took unsuccessful legal action to suppress their publication. He later claimed to have been an undercover agent for theFrench Resistance,[1][2][3] and received theLegion of Honour for service to France in 1968.[1]
After the war, he worked as a journalist forRobert Hersant at a successful French automobile magazine calledL'Auto-Journal. He continued to work with Hersant as he expanded his publishing operations, which made Balestre wealthy.[3] He was a founding member of theFédération Française du Sport Automobile, a French national motorsport organization, in 1950, and in 1962 became the first president of theCommission Internationale de Karting. He was elected president of the FFSA in 1973 and president of the FIA's International Sporting Commission in 1978. He was instrumental in transforming the International Sporting Commission into theFédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) in 1978, winning the election by 29 votes to 11 overTom Binford.
In the late 1970s, photographs began to circulate of Balestre wearing a German SS uniform, and he took unsuccessful legal action to suppress their publication.[1][2]
Balestre was heavily involved in what is colloquially called theFISA–FOCA war, a political battle over finances and control of theFormula One World Championships between 1980 and 1982. Balestre and his opponent,Bernie Ecclestone, settled the dispute afterEnzo Ferrari brokered a compromise. Balestre signed the firstConcorde Agreement, under which FOCA was granted the commercial rights to Formula One while the FIA retained control of all sporting and technical regulations.[4]
In 1986, a few hours after the death ofHenri Toivonen andSergio Cresto in a crash, Balestre announced the unilateral decision of FISA to banGroup B rallying in favour of the slower, less technically advanced Group A. Despite this decision,WRC driver fatalities peaked in 1989.
Balestre is credited with establishing specificcrash test requirements for Formula One cars, significantly improving the safety of the sport. He was also a key proponent of the switch tonaturally aspirated engines in 1989, 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. In1989, afterAyrton Senna andAlain Prost collided at Suzuka, there were implications inAutosport magazine that Balestre was involved in manipulating the World Championship in favour of Prost, as Senna would be disqualified from the race, fined, and suspended. This ultimately led toMax Mosley's decision to run for the FISA presidency.[5] Senna fell out with Balestre, who threatened to revoke his super license but was included on the 1990 entry list.[6] However, when Senna collided with Prost in 1990 at the same circuit, Balestre did not intervene or sanction the Brazilian. Years later, after leaving the presidency of FIA, Balestre admitted to having acted to benefit Prost in 1989.[7]
Balestre was elected as president of the FIA, while remaining president of FISA, in 1986. He was replaced as president of FISA in 1991 when he lost the election toMax Mosley in October by a vote of 43 to 29. Facing certain defeat in the re-election to the FIA presidency in October 1993, Balestre elected to stand down, and proposed that FISA be abolished and Mosley replace him as president of the FIA. Balestre maintained the presidency of the FFSA until the end of 1996.
Balestre died on 27 March 2008, aged 86.[8][9]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of theFédération Française du Sport Automobile 1972–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theFédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) 1978–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theFédération Internationale de l'Automobile 1985–1993 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
