Courtney earns global recognition with FIA driving standards call-up

James Courtney has hailed another “feather in the cap” after being recognised by the FIA to conduct a crucial role at the upcoming Grand Prix.

The newly retired Courtney, who debuted on the Supercars broadcast in Sydney last weekend, has been called up to monitor driving standards for Formula 2 and Formula 3 in Melbourne.

The F2 and F3 championships will commence alongside Formula 1 at the upcoming Formula 1 QATAR AIRWAYS Australian Grand Prix 2026.

Courtney, who rose through the ranks and was on the doorstep of F1 before pursuing Supercars, will oversee driving standards for F2 and F3 next week.

The role is equivalent to the Driving Standards Advisor role in Supercars, currently held by Motorsport Australia’s Craig Baird, himself a former racer.

Courtney will dovetail the role with his broadcast duties with Supercars, which resume in Melbourne next week.

“It was a surprise, but it's an honour to be called up, and I’m really excited,” Courtney told Supercars.com.

“It's an important role, and one I'm keen for. They have a driving code, and say there's a line ball incident, I have to give them the opinion from a driver's point of view.

“Like Bairdo here, I don’t make a call on the punishment — it’s more a case of determining who's at fault, especially if it's not clear from the naked eye.”

The 2010 Supercars champion was recommended to the role by long time friends Adrian Burgess and Alan Gow, bringing Courtney back to his open wheel roots.

45-year-old Courtney was widely regarded as Australia's next great Formula One hopeful at the turn of the century, winning the 2000 British Formula Ford Championship, and being on the verge of a Formula 1 race seat before a mammoth testing crash with Jaguar in 2002.

While raring to sink his teeth into the role, Courtney knows he also has to strike a balance with his broadcast commitments, given Supercars shares the support bill with F2 and F3.

All told, Courtney is eager to share his insights, fresh out of a 20-year career at the highest level in Australia.

“It's racing. It doesn't matter what car you're in, you have to put yourself in their position and make a call,” Courtney said.

"I have a lot of experience from being on the other side of the fence, so sitting in this position is something that excites me.

“It's quite a feather in the cap to be singled out. It's a great news story for Supercars as a championship, that we’re at a level where the FIA chooses to pick one of us as opposed to bringing one of their own.”

Supercars resumes in Melbourne on March 5-8, alongside F1, F2, F3 and Porsche Carrera Cup.