A senior steward fired by Formulation 1’s governing physique says the FIA is “working out of individuals to do these jobs”.
The feedback by Tim Mayer – a senior steward for 15 years who says he was fired this week – come after BBC Sport discovered that Janette Tan, the deputy Formulation 2 race director, has additionally left the FIA.
Mayer and Tan carry the variety of senior figures to depart to 4 in simply over two weeks, after the firings of the and .
Tan had been set to take over as F2 race director on the closing two rounds of the season – the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix over the brand new two weekends.
However her departure implies that Rui Marques will now be race director for each F1 and F2 on the two occasions.
Marques made his debut as F1 race director on the Las Vegas Grand Prix final weekend, following the sacking of Wittich. Marques was previously the F2 race director.
Mayer instructed BBC Sport in an unique interview that he was “incredulous” on the departure of Tan, who can also be the director of race operations on the Singapore Grand Prix.
“She is the epitome of the kind of individual we wish working for the FIA, one of the best of the subsequent era of race administrators,” Mayer stated. “I do not know the circumstances, however one would assume they might work very arduous to maintain somebody of her character.”
The choice to ask Marques to cowl off each F1 and F2 in Qatar and Abu Dhabi is towards conference. The final time one individual did each was the late FIA F1 director Charlie Whiting, who died in 2019. He stopped combining the 2 roles greater than a decade in the past when it was determined the workload was too excessive.
“I understand how arduous each of these jobs are,” Mayer stated. “I like Rui lots, however it’s going to put him beneath unimaginable stress.
“There aren’t loads of ‘platinum-level’ FIA race administrators, which is the FIA’s highest degree certification. I am one in every of them. It is loads of work and, if you’re doing the job proper, you get up day-after-day with an ulcer considering of all the varied issues you have to be excited about.
“They don’t seem to be doing themselves any favours. They’re actually working out of individuals to do these jobs.”
Mayer additionally addressed his personal sacking, and different current controversies to do with the FIA.
Tan was unavailable for remark.
The FIA didn’t immediately tackle BBC Sport’s questions however issued a press release describing the extent of assist the race director receives of their duties, saying the function had develop into “lots much less onerous” because of this.
It additionally emphasised its ‘high-performance programme’ geared toward figuring out race administrators, saying “a lot of candidates have been earmarked for future roles throughout a spread of FIA classes”.
Up to now yr, the FIA has additionally misplaced sporting director Tim Nielsen, technical director Tim Goss, chief govt officer Natalie Robyn, together with the top of fee for girls Deborah Mayer, secretary common of mobility Jacob Bangsgaard and director of communications Luke Skipper.
President ‘needed swearing clampdown’
Mayer added that the current got here immediately from the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“His view is that the drivers have to be penalised for swearing – and what has occurred since displays that,” Mayer stated.
Stewards’ panels are supposed to be unbiased our bodies. However Mayer stated: “There are occasions when he has immediately concerned himself in making his views identified. Not with the stewards immediately, however by way of his employees.
“A part of the job of the stewards is to implement the FIA’s coverage on the principles.
“Technically, unhealthy language is outlawed, so it is not unfair. Whether or not it is smart we ought to be chasing drivers for fairly gentle swearing is one other matter.
“Most drivers, English is their second, third or fourth language and each go-kart child on the earth, it is the primary phrase they’re taught in English. There are different methods to deal with that form of factor until your want is to flex your muscle tissue.”
Why has Mayer left the FIA?
Mayer stated he was fired by way of a textual content from one in every of Ben Sulayem’s assistants on Tuesday.
“For a federation that depends on volunteers to fireplace by textual content anyone who has made a big contribution doesn’t converse effectively of the administration of the federation,” Mayer stated.
He stated the explanation for his dismissal as a steward was Ben Sulayem “took offence” on the contents of an enchantment doc filed by the Circuit of the Americas (Cota), host of the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Mayer represented the Austin organisers in a ‘proper of evaluate’ listening to into a call to nice them 500,000 euros, with 350,000 euros of it suspended, after a observe invasion on the finish of the F1 race on 20 October.
Cota officers have been “not greatest happy” on the judgement, Mayer stated. The same state of affairs on the Canadian Grand Prix this yr led to a warning.
Mayer, who was performing within the enchantment in his function as sporting organiser of the three grands prix within the USA, stated that his involvement within the enchantment initially led to to him being faraway from the stewards panel on the Sao Paulo Grand Prix earlier this month, earlier than his firing as a 2025 steward this week.
“The official cause that shall be given is that they felt there was a battle of curiosity with the FIA as I had led the appropriate of evaluate in my function as organiser,” Mayer stated.
“However that isn’t why I used to be fired. Being an organiser is a job that I’ve fulfilled, benefiting the FIA, for over 12 years. This is not new.
“Despite the matter being resolved quietly and amicably, he is nonetheless upset and determined to fireplace me. After 15 years of volunteering my time as a steward, a decade instructing different stewards and a whole lot of hours volunteering in different roles, I obtained a textual content from one in every of his assistants.”
Mayer stated that Ben Sulayem felt a component in the appropriate of evaluate paperwork “was a private assault on him”.
“I did not write that a part of the doc, nevertheless it was my job to current it,” Mayer stated.
“There was no intention of making an attempt to trigger an issue with the FIA and I’ll proceed because the sporting organiser of the three US Grands Prix. This was such a minor level that it’s baffling that anybody would take such offence.”
Cota succeeded in having the language of the appropriate of evaluate verdict modified, eradicating a discovering that organisers had “didn’t take cheap measures”.
“In US legalese, that’s synonymous with negligence, which is problematic for a US company physique,” Mayer stated.
“Following the appropriate of evaluate listening to, the stewards subsequently agreed with us and altered the penalty to a breach of Article 26.7 of the F1 laws, which states that nobody is allowed within the observe earlier than all of the automobiles are within the pits, which is a press release of reality. Some followers did attain the observe.
“Within the course of, there have been damage emotions on behalf of the president, which I feel is odd as a result of there was no trigger for his emotions to be damage when everybody else handled this in knowledgeable method.”
