Overview
- The FIA's World Motor Sport Council has lifted emergency restrictions so Russian and Belarusian drivers, teams, officials and competitors may enter international and zone competitions without a neutrality commitment.
- National symbols, including flags, team colours and the playing of anthems, are now permitted at FIA‑sanctioned events.
- The WMSC implemented the change with immediate effect on 3 August and the FIA Legal Office formally circulated the decision to members on Thursday, 13 August.
- A separate ban on holding international or zone competitions in Russia and Belarus remains in force and the FIA warned that participation will still depend on compliance with sanctions, visas and host‑country laws.
- The move follows similar shifts in other sports bodies, but approaches vary — the IOC provisionally lifted Russia's suspension while the FIM still bars Russian and Belarusian individuals — and affected drivers who lost seats or raced under alternate licences may now be able to represent their countries if legal and political hurdles permit.