Peter Bayer became FIA's secretary general in 2017, his responsibilities include directing all operations in the sports department.
Follow Us
Peter Bayer, who has served as Secretary General for Sport since 2017 and as F1 Executive Director since 2021, has announced his retirement from the FIA. Bayer became the FIA’s secretary general for sport in 2017, and his responsibilities include directing all operations in the FIA’s sports department, from go-karting to Formula One, as well as working closely with member clubs throughout the world. The Austrian took over as the FIA’s F1 executive director at the end of last year, just before the season’s contentious conclusion in Abu Dhabi.
Bayer handled the inquiry that resulted to Masi’s dismissal, concluding that the Australian had failed to follow F1 rules correctly. With F1 employers pressuring the FIA via public spats, particularly with Lewis Hamilton over President Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s jewelry regulations, they evidently felt fit to make a change. According to reports earlier this week, F1 executives are ‘very displeased’ with the FIA this season and believe they are endangering the sport.
“The FIA warmly thanks him for the achievements he has contributed to the development of motor sport over the last five years. In particular, he has supervised, with the entire Sport Division, the building of the single-seater pyramid from karting to F1, the creation of the new World Rally-Raid Championship, as well as improving safety and sustainability in all disciplines. The FIA wishes him all the best for the future.”
Read more: Haas to sign a new driver instead of Mick Schumacher ?
The FIA has recently overhauled its F1 operations under new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, including the hiring of two race directors to rotate the post and the creation of a new virtual race control room. As part of its restructure, the FIA recently hired former DAMS managing director Francois Sicard as its new single-seater sports director, a post that sits between Bayer and the other major F1 players within the ruling authority.
The FIA said that Bayer will be substituted on a temporary basis by Shaila-Ann Rao, who formerly served as the FIA’s legal director for two years and has just returned to the corporation. Rao departed the FIA at the conclusion of 2018 to head Mercedes as general counsel before becoming a special advisor to Toto Wolff in January 2021.
