Jean-Marie Balestre

Jean-Marie Balestre
Balestre c. 1985
President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
In office 1985 – 23 October 1993
Preceded by	Paul Alfons von Metternich-Winneburg
Succeeded by	Max Mosley
President of the Fédération 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: [ʒɑ̃ maʁi balɛstʁ]; 9 April 1921 – 27 March 2008) was a French motorsport administrator and journalist. From 1978 to 1991, Balestre served as president of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA); from 1985 to 1993, he served as president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

Born and raised in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Balestre initially studied law before becoming an automotive journalist. He was a member of the Schutzstaffel during World War II, reportedly in an undercover role for the French Resistance, receiving the Legion of Honour for services to France in 1968. After the war, Balestre worked for Robert Hersant at L'Auto-Journal. He became a founding member of the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) in 1950, and was elected as the inaugural president of the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) in 1962. After being elected president of the FFSA in 1973, and the FIA's International Sporting Commission (CSI) in 1978, Balestre transformed the latter into FISA that same year.

Balestre led FISA through the FISA–FOCA war with the Formula One Constructors' Association in the early-1980s. The dispute led to the Concorde Agreement in 1987, with the FIA—who Balestre had been elected president of in 1987—retaining control of the sporting and technical regulations of Formula One, and FOCA claiming the commercial rights. Balestre was replaced as president of FISA after losing a leadership election to Max Mosley, and resigned as FIA president in 1993. He remained as president of the FFSA until 1996, when he retired from administration.

Balestre is credited with several major safety reforms in motorsport, including the implementation of crash testing and naturally aspirated engines in Formula One, as well as the decision to ban Group B in the World Rally Championship. He faced allegations of abusing his power to favour Alain Prost at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, following his title-deciding collision with Ayrton Senna; he did not intervene the following season, this time favouring Senna.