FIA announces the departure of ex-Mercedes advisor Shaila-Ann Rao as the interim Secretary General after a short-lived stint


FIA announces the departure of ex-Mercedes advisor Shaila-Ann Rao as the interim Secretary General after a short-lived stint

FIA announced the exit of Shaila-Ann Rao as interim Secretary General of Motorsport

Shaila-Ann Rao worked as the legal director for the FIA for a span of two years till 2018 before making the switch to the Mercedes F1 team as a general counsel and then as special advisor till June 2022. Rao was then asked by the FIA to fill in as the interim Secretary General for Motorsport after Peter Bayer’s exit from the role in June earlier this year. Bayer led the investigation over the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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Now, Rao leaves her interim role, after a stint of five months with the FIA. FIA released a statement regarding her exit stating Shaila’s role in helping the governing body’s new presidential team and said, “Shaila-Ann successfully managed this transition period, providing valuable support and assistance to the FIA President and the organisation during this period which is now coming to an end.” The state mentioned Rao’s exit at the end of the season and thanked the interim president for fulfilling her duties.

The FIA is currently undergoing several changes as it heads to a new phase of sports direction

FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated his gratitude towards Rao and said, “On behalf of everyone at the FIA, I would like to thank Shaila-Ann for her invaluable contribution in her role as Interim Secretary General for Motor Sport during an important transitional phase for the organization.” Sulayem acknowledged the interim Secretary General’s work ethic and thanked her for the help provided to him personally as the new FIA president, the 61-year-old said, “In particular, Shaila-Ann has provided me with great support in respect to Formula 1, always acting with professionalism and integrity.”

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The controversy surrounding Shaila-Ann Rao during her term in F1

Rao helped Mohammed Ben Sulayem during the start of his term as FIA president

After Shaila’s appointment by the governing body, questions were raised in the paddock, with team bosses such as Scuderia Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto flagging concerns regarding the possibility of bias and favoritism towards the Silver Arrows by the interim Secretary General. Another aspect of worry for the teams was Rao’s inclusion in bringing technical directives to reduce porpoising, the problem faced majorly by Mercedes.

However, Alpine team principal, Otmar Szafnauer stated his faith in Rao’s neutrality as a lawyer earlier this year and said, “I’m not concerned. She’s a lawyer and she takes an oath to be honest and trustworthy, so there are no issues.” The French team boss also -appreciated Shaila-Ann Rao’s experience in an F1 team, calling it “good to have” as an FIA official. This support did not help in leaving accusations of bias behind Rao after the announcement of Red Bull’s cost cap breach.

As Shaila departs from her role in the governing body, we wish her the best for the future. All eyes now are on the FIA, regarding who will fill the position for the long term. An ex-team member may not have the approvals of all the teams as we saw in this case, although it will be beneficial to have a Secretary General who understands the working of the Formula 1 teams, as that would help to know the perspective of the teams regarding certain directives.

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