The FIA have announced that a first step has been made with the goal of improving Formula 1’s governance ahead of the 2022 championship.
Various topics were discussed in a recent meeting with just a few weeks before the start of the new season.
The meeting was chaired by recently-appointed FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who was joined by Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid. The most important outcome is a big decision regarding the taken regarding the structure of Formula 1’s governing body.
The new President has promised a root-and-branch review of the events of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including a full report into the contentious decisions made by FIA Race Director Michael Masi in the closing laps that impacted the outcome of the F1 Drivers’ Championship.
At the meeting, a decision was made to launch a “new and robust governance process” – this will include a fully independent financial audit of the FIA and the recruitment of an FIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In this regard, three separate working groups have been established. One will work towards the appointment of the new FIA CEO, another will work on the financial review, while a third will take on the responsibility of a deep-rooted governance review.
The working group established to tackle the governance review will have the task of assisting the presidential team in their analysis of current FIA governance and structure.
The goal is to make recommendations for changes going forward, by forming an external, third-party governance consultant and creating a budget and timeframe for the review.
The working group will set about identifying issues with the FIA’s governance structure, examine solutions for those issues and then outline roadmaps out of the issue.
The group will comprise a Chair, which will be the President of the FIA Senate, Carmelo Sand De Barros, the aforementioned Reid, the Deputy President of Automobile Mobility and Tourism Timothy Shearman, as well as two members from each of the World Councils.
The working group established to help recruit a new FIA CEO will aim to assist the presidential team in determining the attributes such a CEO will require.
The appointed CEO will assume responsibility for the operational affairs of the FIA, with the working group helping to select an executive search firm, sorting a budget and timeframe for the recruitment, as well as recommending a candidate shortlist for the World Councils and the Senate to peruse.
The working group will be run by De Barros, Reid, Shearman and two members from each of the World Councils – former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s wife Fabiana being one of those names.
Ben Sulayem welcomed the decisions made at Thursday’s meeting, with the President saying that a more transparent governance structure is a “key pillar” of what he aims to achieve in office.
“A new era has begun for the FIA, through the creation of a governance framework founded on openness and global diversity,” he said.
“This is a key pillar of our strategy and I warmly thank the World Councils’ members, who have approved the changes. Responsibility and authority of World Councils, which emanate from our members, will be increased. A more effective oversight model will be designed, stakeholders’ priorities will be aligned, and a responsibly profitable FIA operation will be ensured. To reach these objectives, the Federation’s governing bodies and administration will work closely together to make the FIA the global voice of motorsport and mobility.” – he explained.
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