FIA chief quits after less than a year in job after falling out at F1 body

23 December 2023 , 21:33

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FIA chief quits after less than a year in job after falling out at F1 body

Steve Nielsen has resigned from his role as sporting director of Formula 1's governing body the FIA.

It comes less than a year after being appointed into the position. Nielsen took on the new role in January 2023 with the goal of fixing the sport's race-management problems. During his time at FIA, Nielsen oversaw race-control operations, which had been at the centre of a series of controversies in recent times.

According to the BBC, Nielsen was unhappy with several areas of his role, though no reason has been given behind his departure. It has been claimed, however, that the 59-year-old believed the FIA were not making the necessary changes to make its racing controls fit for purpose.

F1 teams and drivers were supportive of Nielsen's appointment earlier this year and will be "dismayed" by his exit and "concerned" what might come next, as per Crash. Deborah Mayer also quit her job as FIA's head of the commission for women on December 13.

Nielsen caused controversy earlier this month by launching an investigation into Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff, which was later dropped. Mercedes strongly condemned the investigation, though the other nine F1 teams stated they didn't make any complaints to prompt an investigation.

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Steve Nielsen has resigned from his role at the FIA (Getty Images)

At the Belgium Grand Prix, Mercedes driver George Russell said that Nielsen had been a really great addition" to the FIA's operations team. Nielsen had previously worked as sporting director for Tyrell, Benetton, Renault and Williams, as well as working for Formula 1 after its takeover by Liberty Media.

Speaking at the time of Nielsen's appointment in January, president Mohammed Ben Sulayem believed Nielsen's appointment was key in helping the organisation move forward. He said: "We have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making significant, informed changes to our Formula 1 team to create the right structure with the right people to oversee the future regulation of the sport.

"By developing and empowering people within our organisation, as well as bringing in expertise and experience from the outside, I am confident that we are in the best position possible to move forward together with our partners at FOM and the Formula 1 teams."

Kieran King