The FIA has appointed Steve Nielsen as sporting director in a bid to eradicate some of
the race-management issues that have blighted Formula 1 in recent years.
Nielsen, 58, has been sporting director at rights holder F1 since 2017 and his 30-year
career has also included spells at Williams, Alpine and Toro Rosso.
Race-control operations have been in the headlines numerous times over the last
couple of campaigns, principally at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.
Crucially the 58-year-old will also oversee and work with the F1 race directors. Since
Michael Masi was removed from his post as race director after his interpretation of
the rules in Abu Dhabi cost Lewis Hamilton a potential eighth title, the FIA have used
two rotating race directors, which proved unsatisfactory and was ultimately dropped
at the end of last season, and brought in the remote operations centre to aid their
decision-making.
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However, last season race control continued to make mistakes, much to the
frustration of drivers and teams. The use of a recovery vehicle on track while cars
were still circulating in wet conditions and low visibility in Japan last year attracted
condemnation from across the paddock. Nielsen will be expected to hone and oversee
the operation of race control to eliminate similar errors by working with the race
directors.
The appointment comes as part of a restructuring process undertaken by the FIA’s
president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, and includes the promotion of Nikolas Tombazis
to single-seater director, placing him in charge of the FIA’s F1 management. The
former McLaren technical director, Tim Goss, has also been promoted to FIA
technical director.
The changes were initiated by Ben Sulayem after he took over as president at the
beginning of last year soon after Abu Dhabi. They follow a review of the FIA’s internal
procedures leading to a reorganisation of the governing body. The FIA has struggled
to restructure since the death of Charlie Whiting in 2019. Whiting was the F1 director
and as well as being race director, handling all the technical and sporting
management. His responsibilities have since had to be devolved amongst several
posts but finding the correct working combination has proved complex.
Nielsen’s appointment was welcomed by F1’s chief executive, Stefano Domenicali.
“He is a highly respected professional in our sport,” Domenicali said. “We fully
support his move to the FIA. His skills and experience in Formula One will assist the
FIA in its ongoing efforts to improve their operations during race weekends.”
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