Steve Nielsen departs FIA role after less than a year
Steve Nielsen has resigned from his role as sporting director of Formula 1's governing body the FIA less than a year since being appointed.
He was appointed in January 2023 with a mandate to improve the FIA's race control operations after a series of controversies, BBC says Nielsen felt the FIA was unwilling to implement necessary changes.
The FIA is undergoing further upheaval following the resignation of sporting director Steve Nielsen before the end of his first year in the role.
Appointed in January 2023 to overhaul F1 race control operations after recent controversies, Nielsen has quit after feeling the FIA was unwilling to implement required changes.
As per BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson, no explicit reason was provided by the FIA or Nielsen himself for the latter's exit, communicated internally on December 21st.
However, paddock sources have indicated Nielsen's frustration with roadblocks to instituting necessary race control reforms and upgrades.
This represents another blow for recently embattled FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Nielsen was headhunted from Formula One, where he served as sporting director from 2017 under Ross Brawn and Stefano Domenicali's leadership.
His vast experience made Nielsen a popular choice for the FIA's restructured F1 team, headed by single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis.
Both drivers and teams welcomed the appointment last January. Mercedes' George Russell dubbed Nielsen "a really great addition" at August's Belgian Grand Prix.
Yet Nielsen has tendered his resignation within 11 months, making him the second senior FIA departure this month.
On December 13th, Deborah Mayer left her post as head of the women's commission.
This follows FIA infighting around an aborted compliance investigation into Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff.
With Nielsen no longer reachable for comment, F1 personnel are likely to react with dismay.
The 59-year-old Briton earned admiration over decades serving as sporting director for teams like Williams and Renault. At F1, Nielsen notably helped guide the sport through the 2020 pandemic.
His FIA exit now throws race control progress into uncertainty. Intended to address controversies marring recent championships, these critical reforms seem endangered minus their chief architect.
As Benson notes, teams and drivers placed faith in Nielsen's oversight ushering in necessary upgrades. Instead, further disorder plagues the FIA amid accounts of internal tensions frustrating Nielsen's intended plans.
This sporting director resignation caps a month of instability for Ben Sulayem's presidency.
December began with a botched investigation into the Wolffs and concludes with the loss of a respected leader like Nielsen.
The ambiguous circumstances around his departure also raise troubling questions. Fundamentally, the stalled race control reforms Nielsen was tasked with now face an unclear future.
For a governing body recently beset by embarrassments, this represents one complication too many.
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