The FIA is the international body that sits over much of world car racing. Its full name is French: Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the International Automobile Federation. For most learners the important job is Formula One: the FIA writes and polices a huge part of the sporting and technical rulebook — what the cars may be, how a race is run, who may drive, and what happens when teams fight over the rules. Though actually it does not 'own' Formula One as a business; another group runs the commercial side. The FIA is the sporting government, not a team and not a single race. People say the three letters, F-I-A, not a word. You hear them on race weekends and in news about crashes, bans, and rule rows.