December 12, 2025 News

F1, the FIA and all 11 teams confirm signing of 2026 Concorde Governance Agreement

The FIA, Formula 1, and all 11 teams competing in the championship have signed a new Concorde Agreement that will remain in force until 2030. The announcement was made simultaneously on Thursday evening by the press services of both the International Automobile Federation and Formula 1.

The statement said that thanks to these agreements, the sport has reached a more professional level and a new era of cooperation between the FIA and Formula 1 Group has begun. The long-term nature of the contract will further expand the championship’s global audience and provide stability for teams, broadcasters, and fans alike.

Stefano Domenicali: “Today is an important day for Formula 1. As we celebrate 75 years of this incredible sport, we are proud to write the next chapter in our long and amazing history.

This agreement ensures that Formula 1 is in the best possible position to continue to grow around the world. I want to thank the President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and all the teams for the collaboration and determination to achieve the best results for the entire sport in our discussions.

We have a huge amount to be proud of, but we also are focused on the opportunities and exciting potential for Formula 1 in the years ahead”.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem: “The ninth Concorde Agreement secures the FIA Formula One World Championship’s long-term future and I am proud of the dedication that has been invested in this process.

I would like to thank Stefano Domenicali and his team in what has been a strong collaboration, building a framework grounded in fairness, stability, and shared ambition.

This agreement allows us to continue modernising our regulatory, technological, and operational capabilities, including supporting our race directors, officials, and the thousands of volunteers whose expertise underpin every race.

We are ensuring that Formula 1 remains at the forefront of technological innovation, setting new standards in global sport”.

It should be noted that this is the ninth Concorde Agreement in history. Let us take a look at the previous agreements:

First Concorde Agreement (1981–1986)
The first Concorde Agreement was signed on 19 January 1981 at Place de la Concorde in Paris. The document aimed to bring an end to the long-running FISA–FOCA disputes between the FIA, FOCA, and the teams. The agreement ensured that teams participated in every race, defined television rights, and introduced stable regulations that brought credibility to the sport.
Second Concorde Agreement (1987–1991)
The second agreement came into force in 1987 and remained valid until 1991. Upon signing the agreement, Bernie Ecclestone stepped away from his role as a team owner and established Formula One Promotions and Administration (FOPA) to manage television rights on behalf of the teams. Later known as Formula One Management (FOM), FOPA received 49% of television revenue, the teams received 1%, and the FIA received 50%; FOPA also collected all promoter fees and distributed prize money to the teams.
Third Concorde Agreement (1992–1996)
The third Concorde Agreement covered the 1992 to 1996 seasons. Bernie Ecclestone was required to obtain the approval of Jean-Marie Balestre and the FIA to transfer Formula 1 television rights to FOCA. He sent his business partner Paddy McNally, who was fluent in French, to negotiate with Balestre, and the parties eventually reached an agreement. Balestre was unaware of Ecclestone’s aggressive expansion plans and the true value of the television rights. Shortly afterwards, in 1993, Max Mosley was elected president of the FIA.
Fourth Concorde Agreement (1997)
In 1995, the FIA decided to transfer Formula 1’s commercial rights from FOCA to FOM for a 14-year period, with Ecclestone agreeing to make annual payments in return. McLaren, Williams, and Tyrrell opposed the decision and refused to sign the new agreement, as Ecclestone was transferring the rights to his own company while serving as FOCA president. Tyrrell also objected to a secret addendum to the contract, arguing that the secrecy benefited only Ecclestone. However, on 5 September 1996, all teams except McLaren, Williams, and Tyrrell signed the agreement. As a result, the new contract came into force on 1 January 1997 and remained valid until 31 December 2002.
Fifth Concorde Agreement (1998–2007)
A compromise was reached, and a new agreement was signed on 27 August 1998. This deal also included the three teams that had previously refused to sign and expired on 31 December 2007.
Sixth Concorde Agreement (2009–2012)
On 7 December 2004, Ecclestone offered all teams except Ferrari a three-year payout worth £260 million to secure an extension of the fifth agreement. On 19 January 2005, Ferrari signed an extension that would remain valid until the end of 2012, followed by Red Bull, Jordan, and Midland, with Williams joining later. In 2006, BMW Sauber, Renault, Honda, McLaren, and Toyota agreed to remain in the sport until 2012. In 2009, following disagreements between FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) and the FIA, Max Mosley and all teams signed a new agreement. This contract remained in force until 31 December 2012 and also introduced resource restrictions and new technical regulations.
Seventh Concorde Agreement (2013–2020)
Negotiations for the new agreement took a long time, and although the previous contract expired in 2012, a new deal was not finalized by the start of the 2013 season. Unlike previous versions, this agreement was not a collective contract but consisted of individual bilateral agreements between the Formula One Group and each team, meaning it did not fully meet the criteria of a Concorde Agreement. The contract signed between the FIA and the Formula One Group in September 2013 remained in force until the end of 2020. Although it was described as a step toward a new multi-party agreement, such an agreement never materialized.
Eighth Concorde Agreement (2021–2025)
Negotiations for the new agreement began in 2017 and continued until 2019 but were further delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract introduced a budget cap from 2021 and restructured prize money distribution. New teams were required to pay a $200 million entry fee, to be shared equally among the ten existing teams. On 18 August 2020, Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams signed the agreement, with the remaining teams following the next day. This was the first Concorde Agreement signed under Liberty Media’s ownership and has been in force from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025.