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The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has created a Formula One commissioner role, according to Motorsport.com.
Confirmed:
- Former Formula One journalist Dieter Rencken appointed to new position
- Role designed to help with strategies and overall improvements for series
Context:
Rencken has been working as an advisor to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for several months and will take up this new position with immediate effect, Motorsport.com revealed. It has been a long-term goal of the FIA to create a position like this, but previous efforts have proven unsuccessful.
This is the latest in a series of moves behind the scenes to restructure the way the FIA manages Formula One. At the start of this year, Ben Sulayem created a new management team, led by single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, which was then quickly followed by the Emirati relinquishing day-to-day control of the series.
Comment:
In reference to previous efforts to create a Formula One commissioner role, former FIA president Jean Todt said: “We need to find somebody who is willing to give his time, with his capacity, almost free of charge.
“It is something that makes the choice more difficult but we are at quite a good point, and for me I prefer to wait a few months and have the profile I want to find rather than rush to fill the position.”
Coming next:
One of the main focuses of this new position appears to be negotiating around the next Concorde Agreement, a point of high contention between Formula One and the FIA. Following the governing body’s decision to approve Andretti’s entry, tensions have once again been heightened between the two parties.
Teams want the current anti-dilution fee of US$200 million to be raised to offset the financial implications of an 11th team joining the grid, with various reports suggesting a target figure of around US$600 million. The hope is this will appease teams adverse to an expansion of the grid, but the FIA will look to utilise Rencken’s experience to ensure a smooth process.