The FIA has introduced a new regulation preventing senior figures within the governing body from joining teams in Formula 1 or other series soon after leaving office.
The new article 9.17 of the International Sporting Code defines restrictions in activities that are applied to its presidents and deputy presidents of sport once they leave their posts.The rule is intended to prevent any team gaining the benefit of confidential information such individuals might have gained during their time at the sport’s governing body. The FIA’s higher officers are privy to sensitive details concerning the activities of teams, such as the disclosures made in their budget cap submissions.
The new rule states: “A competitor entered in a FIA championship may not engage or use the services of a former president of the FIA or a former FIA deputy president for sport (whether as an employee, independent contractor, consultant, or otherwise) until six months have elapsed since the date that they ceased to hold the post of president or deputy president for sport (as applicable), and in any event the aforementioned competitor may not, without time limit, obtain, benefit from or use confidential information obtained by a former president of the FIA or a former president-delegate for sport of the FIA during their mandate.”
Jean Todt, who was replaced by current FIA president Muhammed ben Sulayem 12 months ago, is the only living person to formerly occupy the role and is also the FIA’s honorary president. He continues to work on many of the non-racing matters he was previously responsible for, concentrating his efforts on leading the United Nations’ work on improving road safety.
His former deputy for sport, Graham Stoker, stood for election to be FIA president but lost to ben Sulayem. Stoker’s successor as deputy president for sport is world championship-winning rally co-driver Robert Reid.
In another update to the ISC, the list of staff F1 teams must register with the FIA has been expanded. The competitor’s staff registration system was introduced in 2010 to give the governing body the power to bar individuals who commit serious breaches of the code from its events, following the sanctions handed down over the Crashgate affair.
Teams are already required to register staff occupying the roles of race engineer, sporting director, team manager, team principal and technical director with the FIA. The roles of chief financial offer (responsible for ensuring the team complies with F1’s financial regulations) and chief executive officer (in charge of the team’s most important executive decisions) have been added to that list.
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MichaelN
21st December 2022, 11:52
The staff registration system is a potentially good idea, but it all looks a bit silly when F1 itself hires Patrick Symonds to be their Chief Technical Officer.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
23rd December 2022, 18:28
You are aware that a French court ruled that the attempted 5-year-ban of Patrick was illegal due to being excessive, forcing a substantial reduction? Or that even if the ban had been allowed to stand, it would have ended in 2014? Or that F1 has long functioned on a poacher-turned-gamekeeper approach (which is part of the reason this new rule even exists)?
Mayrton
22nd December 2022, 7:46
And the other way around? The Shaila-Ann Rao incident is not forgotten. This FIA is turning into a rich mans toy with their own set of rules and ethical interpretations more and more every day.