FIA announce departure of F1 Executive Director Peter Bayer

The FIA have announced the departure of Peter Bayer, who has been F1’s Executive Director since 2021.

Bayer is the most senior official in F1 and has been with the FIA since 2017, where he was originally appointed as the Secretary-General for Motor Sport. He became the Executive Director towards the end of 2021. One of his first duties was to oversee the investigation into the controversial events that unfolded at last year’s Abu Dhabi GP.

In the statement confirming Bayer’s departure, the FIA said: “The FIA warmly thanks him for the achievements he has contributed to the development of motorsport over the last five years. The FIA wishes him all the best for the future.”

The FIA also confirmed that Bayer’s replacement on an interim basis will be Shaila-Ann Rao. She was the FIA’s Legal Director between 2016 and 2018 and has recently returned to work at the organisation. Before that, Rao was working at the Mercedes F1 Team as a Special Adviser to Team Principal Toto Wolff.