Our latest Role Call is with Valerio Iachizzi, Secretary General for Sport at the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.
Sector recently wrote about the FIA’s Formula 1 Volunteer Report – showing that an average of 838 volunteers are required to safely and efficiently organise a single round of the championship.
Iachizzi and his team were pleased to be able to publish such findings and highlight the important work undertaken by volunteers.
Role Call is Sector’s series spotlighting the people whose job titles do not always reveal the influence they have on the sport and Valerio is next to take our Q&A.
Sector: How vital was the F1 Volunteers Report in helping the FIA shine a light on what is needed for the series to operate safely?
Valerio: The report represents an important milestone for the FIA because, for the first time, we have been able to quantify and better understand the extraordinary contribution volunteers make to Formula 1 and to motor sport as a whole.
Across a single season, around 20,000 FIA-trained volunteers support Formula 1 events in roles ranging from marshals and observers to incident response and extrication teams. Their professionalism, commitment, and passion are fundamental to the safe operation of our sport.
What I find particularly meaningful is that behind every race weekend there is a community of people who dedicate their time not for recognition, but because they genuinely believe in the values and spirit of motor sport.
The research conducted by FIA University also highlighted the positive environment that exists around volunteering. Beyond the operational aspect, volunteering creates belonging, personal development, and opportunities to acquire valuable skills and experience.
One element that makes me especially proud is the loyalty within this community. Many volunteers remain involved for years, sometimes decades. In a world that moves very quickly, that level of commitment says a great deal.
As Formula 1 continues to grow globally, our responsibility is not only to support these volunteers through training and development, but also to ensure that future generations continue to see volunteering as a meaningful way to be part of our sport.
Sector: How did you get into your role with the FIA?
Valerio: Before joining the FIA, I originally trained as a lawyer with a Master’s degree in Sports Law and Management. Sport has always been my passion having played rugby since a child and so I wanted to combine my legal and sporting background and therefore spent many years working with ACI, the FIA’s Italian Member Club.
There I was responsible for International Relations and had the opportunity to work closely with clubs and stakeholders across different regions of the world.
That experience shaped my understanding of what motor sport truly is. Beyond the competition itself, motor sport is a global community built on collaboration, trust, and shared passion. Behind every championship or event there are people and organisations working together with a common purpose.
Nowhere was that more evident than when I was charged by the ACI to support with the merger of FREC and Formula Renault. It was a hands-on role covering commercial, legal and operational aspects and one of the proud moments of my career.
When I became FIA Secretary General for Sport in 2023, I wanted to bring that same spirit into this role. My priority has always been to support our Member Clubs, strengthen the grassroots of the sport, and help create long-term opportunities for growth and accessibility.
The FIA is evolving, our sport is evolving, and with that comes responsibility. We must continue protecting the heritage and values of motor sport while also ensuring it remains open, relevant, and accessible to future generations.
It is a demanding role, often intense, but also a very meaningful one. Being able to contribute to the future of our sport and work closely with such passionate people around the world is a privilege.
Sector: What skills matter most in your job that people wouldn’t expect?
Valerio: Communication is probably the most important skill in this role, although perhaps not always in the way people imagine.
Working with 149 Member Clubs across different cultures, regions, and realities requires much more than simply exchanging information. It requires listening, understanding different perspectives, building trust, and sometimes finding balance between very different needs and expectations.
A significant part of our work is about supporting Member Clubs and helping them grow motor sport locally through grassroots initiatives, education, competitions, safety programmes, and long-term development projects. Every club operates in its own context, with its own challenges and priorities.
What people perhaps do not always see is how human this role really is. Motorsport is built on relationships, collaboration, and mutual trust. Without that, progress becomes very difficult.
At the FIA, we are fortunate to work with people who care deeply about the future of the sport and maintaining that sense of unity across such a global community is one of the most important aspects of the role.
Sector: What does a good day look like in your role?
Valerio: A good day in my role is when I can see the direct impact of our work on Member Clubs and on people.
It can be a grassroots initiative being implemented in a new region, a local club creating opportunities for young people, or simply seeing new communities discover motor sport for the first time.
Some of the most meaningful moments for me happen during visits to local events. Seeing young people stepping out of a kart or a cross car with genuine excitement and emotion is something that always stays with you.
In those moments, you are reminded that motor sport is about far more than competition alone. It is about passion, education, opportunity, community, and personal growth.
That is probably the most rewarding aspect of this role: knowing that, through the work we do together with our Member Clubs, we are helping shape the future of the sport and inspire a new generation.
Sector: What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in motorsport governance but doesn’t know where they fit?
Valerio: My advice would always be to start with your national club or ASN.
Our Member Clubs are the foundation of motor sport. They are where people first discover the sport, where talent is developed, and where communities are built around a shared passion.
One of the unique aspects of motor sport is that there are many ways to contribute.
Drivers represent only one part of a much broader ecosystem. There are opportunities in governance, safety, volunteering, event organisation, technical development, education, communications, and many other areas.
I always encourage people to step forward, meet others, stay curious, and become involved at grassroots level. Motor sport is demanding and requires commitment, but it is also a world that gives back a great deal to those who truly care about it.
Very often, the opportunities that shape a career begin with a simple connection, a local event, or a first experience within a club environment.
Sector: If you were starting again tomorrow, what would you do differently?
Valerio: Over the past three years, we have worked hard to strengthen the support we provide to our Member Clubs and to develop initiatives focused on grassroots growth, accessibility, and long-term participation in motor sport.
I am proud of the progress we have made, but there is also an awareness that this work is never truly finished. Motor sport continues to evolve, and so must we.
Looking back at my earlier years working within the Italian club system, I think I would probably have tried to implement some of the grassroots initiatives we are now developing globally through the FIA much sooner.
Programmes such as Motorsport in a Box demonstrate how important accessibility is for the future of our sport. When you create opportunities for young people and new communities to enter motor sport, you strengthen the entire ecosystem.
The future of motor sport will depend on our ability to continue opening doors, supporting our Member Clubs, and ensuring that the next generation can see a place for themselves within the sport.
That responsibility is something I take very seriously.
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