Henri Dubois · Endurance-Korrespondent
The FIA has updated its driver classification, and with Valentino Rossi and Mathys Jaubert, two very different careers simultaneously move from Silver to Gold, a ranking that significantly influences their sporting future in prototype and GT3 racing.
In its latest update to driver classification, the four-tier system of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum that determines permissible driver pairings in Pro-Am classes, the FIA has promoted two notable names to the Gold category: former MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi and French prospect Mathys Jaubert. Both were previously classified as Silver drivers, but following their recent performances in sports car racing, they now receive Gold status, a change that should have immediate consequences for GT3 and prototype team planning, as Gold drivers must be paired differently with Bronze or Silver teammates than was previously the case in many classes.
What the Classification Says About a Season
The FIA driver classification is not a snapshot of a single weekend, but rather the result of ongoing observation across racing series, classes, and years. It evaluates past successes, the racing level at which a driver has competed, and pure experience in prototype and GT vehicles before ultimately assigning one of four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. For Rossi, this assessment has now reached a new level. Following his appearances in GT World Challenge Europe and the FIA WEC, he is no longer classified as a Silver driver, but rather as Gold.
For teams competing in Pro-Am standings, this distinction is far more than a formality. In many regulations, at least one driver in a trio or pairing must come from the Bronze or Silver category, while a Gold pilot counts as a full professional with corresponding minimum drive times or pairing rules. An upgrade like Rossi's should therefore change not just a label but also how a team can structure its roster for an entire season.
Jaubert and Eight Other Promotions
Alongside Rossi, Mathys Jaubert also moves from Silver to Gold, a step that likely carries different weight for the young Frenchman than for the Italian veteran. While Rossi arrives as an established name with years of experience across two motorsport disciplines, Jaubert's promotion likely marks the point where a young driver emerges from the category of those clearly still learning and henceforth faces higher expectations regarding his performance consistency over a race weekend.
Jaubert is not alone in this. In the same update, Jonny Edgar, Riccardo Pera, Ben Dörr, Tom Fleming, Atsushi Miyake, Ben Tuck, Joseph Loake, and Hugo Cook also advance from Silver to Gold, a group illustrating how many driver careers are currently at precisely this transition, from talented prospect to professional who, in Pro-Am lineups, counts not as a supplementary addition but as a core part of a three-driver roster.
Movement Also at the Top of the Classification
While Rossi, Jaubert, and the other promotees now reach Gold status, something has shifted at the upper end of the scale as well. Julien Andlauer, Phil Hanson, Laurin Heinrich, Kyle Kirkwood, Norman Nato, and Yifei Ye have been elevated from Gold to Platinum, the highest category that is generally not permitted in Pro-Am lineups. For these drivers, the step likely signals the practical end of their availability for customer teams reliant on Bronze or Silver-heavy rosters.
In sum, the update paints a picture extending beyond individual names: teams planning their driver rosters for GT3 and prototype programs in the coming months must now work with a changed landscape, some additional Gold drivers on one side, some removed Platinum options for Pro-Am combinations on the other. How exactly this affects field lineups for the coming season should only become clear once entry lists for GT World Challenge Europe, WEC, and IMSA are published.
