Secretary General and F1 executive director Bayer departs FIA

The FIA has announced that Peter Bayer, its Secretary General for Sport and executive director for Formula 1, has departed the governing body.

Bayer held the office of Secretary General since 2017, overseeing all of the FIA's sporting departments, but the Austrian also became the FIA's executive director of F1 at the end of last year, before the sport's controversial title decider in Abu Dhabi.

Bayer was subsequently entrusted with the FIA's investigation into the events that unfolded at Yas Marina last December and which led to the ousting of F1 race director Michael Masi and to a restructuring by the governing body of its F1 race control.

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"The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile announces the departure of Peter Bayer, who served as Secretary General for Sport since 2017 and also as F1 Executive Director since 2021," stated the FIA.

"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."

Bayer has been replaced - on an interim basis - by Shaila-Ann Rao who previously held the position of FIA Legal Director from mid-2016 to 2018.

Rao then worked as a General Counsel at the Mercedes F1 team and special advisor to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

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