The executive director of F1, Peter Bayer, is leaving his position
The FIA announced in a statement the departure of Peter Bayer, Executive Director of Formula 1. The interim will be carried out by Shaila-Ann Rao.
Peter Bayer was the Executive Director of Formula 1 since the end of last year. He was also the Secretary General of Sport at the FIA since 2017, overseeing all the categories under the federation’s authority.
If the reasons for the Austrian’s departure have not been specified, the FIA has praised his work through a statement.
The FIA warmly thanks him for the achievements he has brought to the development of motorsport over the past five years. He notably oversaw, along with the entire Sport Division, the construction of the single-seater pyramid from Karting to F1, the creation of the new World Rally Raid Championship, as well as the improvement of safety and sustainability in all disciplines. The FIA wishes him the best for the future.
Peter Bayer will be temporarily replaced by Shaila-Ann Rao. This lawyer by training was the deputy director of legal services at TF1 for many years. She then joined the FIA in 2016 to head the legal department, before leaving the organization to become a special advisor to Toto Wolff at Mercedes.
This departure comes a few weeks after the appointment of François Sicard, the former head of the F2 DAMS team, as the sports director of Formula 1. While FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has initiated a strong restructuring of the organization chart, it remains to be seen how the Federation will be structured with the departure of its executive director.
