The most powerful people in motorsport

It’s a constantly evolving list, impacted by the coming and going of senior executives, and by the relative importance of manufacturers and teams. Former FIA president Jean Todt and ex-F1 CEO Chase Carey were on the last list we compiled in 2019, and both have now gone.

Some names have worked their way up through years of solid personal achievement in business, or on track. Others earned their place when they landed a job that automatically qualified them for a spot – and therefore they could depart just as quickly.

Here’s our take on the top 12 at the start of 2022.

12. Jim France

NASCAR CEO and chairman

Jim France

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

NASCAR may have lost some of the popularity it enjoyed a couple of decades ago, but it remains an important series.

The France family has dominated the world of NASCAR since its inception, and the man currently holding the reins is 77-year-old Jim France.

Son of founder Bill Sr, he has been involved in the organisation since 1959. After Bill Sr’s death in 1992, Jim’s higher-profile older brother Bill Jr was the main face of NASCAR, before the latter’s son Brian took over in 2003.

Jim was always involved in the background and, when nephew Brian hit legal problems and eventually had to step aside, he became CEO and chairman.

Along with its Daytona home, NASCAR’s sister ISC organisation runs a string of 12 other major tracks across the US, including Watkins Glen, Darlington, Richmond and Fontana.

11. Roger Penske

Penske, Indianapolis and IndyCar boss

Roger Penske

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Known as ‘The Captain’, Penske has been a major force in motorsport for over five decades.

His teams have achieved success in all forms of US racing, and his 18 Indy 500