FIA Announces Major Restructuring of Single-Seater Department Ahead of 2023 F1 Season

The FIA, the governing body of Formula 1, has announced a major restructuring of its single-seater department. The changes, which will take effect before the 2023 pre-season testing begins next month, will see a new structure with new technical and sporting directors to oversee the ladder from the junior series right up to Grand Prix racing.

Nikolas Tombazis, a former engineer for Benetton, McLaren, and Ferrari, has been promoted to Single Seater Director and will be in charge of F1's technical matters, as the FIA is responsible for creating the sport's rulebook. Tombazis has expressed his gratitude at his promotion, saying, “I am excited and honored to be taking on this new position within the FIA, and very grateful to the President for the trust he is demonstrating towards me."

Concurrently, an all-new Sporting Director role has been created, with Steve Nielsen set to take up those responsibilities from a similar position at F1 itself. In this role, Race Directors, such as Niels Wittich, will report directly to former Williams Sporting Director Nielsen. Nielsen joined F1 in 2017, having previously carried out sporting roles for a host of teams including Lotus, Tyrrell, Honda, Benetton, Arrows, Renault, and Williams, with his Formula 1 career beginning in the 1980's.

Other new FIA appointments include Tim Goss taking on the Technical Director role previously held by Tombazis and Federico Lodi becoming the director responsible for F1's new financial regulations, after having served in a similar role with Toro Rosso.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the new appointments reflected the organization's desire to improve the governance of F1. "We have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making significant, informed changes to our Formula 1 team to create the right structure with the right people to oversee the future regulation of the sport," said Ben Sulayem. "By developing and empowering people within our organization, as well as bringing in expertise and experience from the outside, I am confident that we are in the best position possible to move forward together with our partners at FOM and the Formula 1 teams.”

Offering his comments on the move, F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “I want to thank Steve Nielsen for his hard work and dedication over the past five years at Formula 1. He is a highly respected professional in our sport, and we fully support his move to the FIA. His skills and experience in Formula 1 will assist the FIA in its ongoing efforts to improve their operations during race weekends.”