The FIA has announced Tim Malyon as its new sporting director replacing Steve Nielsen, while Tim Goss is leaving his role of single-seater technical director of the governing body, after a year in the position.
Malyon was already part of the FIA having been safety director and worked on the establishment of the Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Geneva. The former Jaguar, Red Bull, and Sauber engineer takes over from Nielsen, with the former Formula 1 sporting director leaving his role at the end of January.
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“I am delighted to be taking on the role of sporting director,” Malyon said. “We have already brought significant change to our race direction operation with the support of the ROC and I look forward to taking that to the next level. We are also committed to a broad regulatory review of sporting matters, and I look forward to applying a sharper focus to those efforts in the future.”
Malyon’s promotion was welcomed by the FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, who also paid tribute to Nielsen for his work over the past year.
“I am excited to welcome Tim to the role of single-seater sporting director,” Tombazis said. “Tim has a wealth of motorsport experience and expertise at the highest level. He will play a major role as we continue to bring rigor to our sporting and regulatory practices and procedures, and he will drive the innovation we have brought to our Race Control operation.
“Tim has been pivotal in creating a strong synergy between Race Control and the ROC with the introduction of new technology including artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art data analysis and processing systems. He will continue to oversee advances in that area as well as taking the lead on the evolution of FIA sporting regulations.
“Steve has been a fantastic asset to the single-seater department over the course of the 2023 Formula 1 season and has been part of a crucial year of development and positive steps forward in our activities. There is, of course, still a lot to do, and we will be building on these strong foundations over the coming years. We wish Steve the best for his next challenge.”
The BBC reports Nielsen felt the FIA was not willing to make the changes required to improve its race control operations, having been seen as a major hire by the governing body 12 months ago following five years at F1.
“I’d like to thank the FIA for the opportunity to work on the regulatory side of the sport, which has been a fantastic experience for me over the past year,” Nielsen said. “The FIA team working in Formula 1 are a hugely passionate, dedicated group of people who work incredibly hard to achieve the best outcomes for the sport, and I am sure that the positive work that we have done together already will continue into the future.”
As well as Nielsen’s departure, the FIA will need a new technical director in its single-seater department. The former McLaren technical director already has another opportunity in place, with the FIA confirming he will be moving to a position outside of the federation.
“We are disappointed to lose a person of Tim’s calibre from the organization,” Tombazis added. “Tim has played a major part in the technical department and has always operated to the highest level. We understand that his career is taking a new direction going forward and we support and respect his desire to pursue another path, and wish him luck for his future endeavors.”
Goss took over from Tombazis in January 2023 as the latter became single-seater director, but is the third high-profile name to leave the FIA in recent months following sporting director Nielsen, and Deborah Mayer who was head of the women in motorsport commission.
“It’s been an honor to work as technical director at the FIA and to help shape the future of the sport,” Goss said. “I take immense pride and satisfaction from the numerous achievements of the technical department during my stint at the FIA. The department boasts a number of highly-talented individuals and I believe the organization is on a firm footing in terms of technical expertise for the tasks which lie ahead – particularly the introduction of the 2026 regulations. I leave with fond memories of my time with the FIA.”