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F1: FIA training new race directors (Update)

Posted by AR1 staff

The FIA has released another Press Release with more information about the Race Director and Race Steward training program:

Mohammed Ben Sulayem: ‘High Performance Program Integral To Future-Proofing FIA Motor Sport For All’

High-Performance Program provides a pathway for trainee Race Directors and Stewards and underlines FIA’s commitment to rigorous standards – Male and female candidates among 24 trainees, with 17 countries represented at Geneva event – FIA University-accredited initiative seeks to build a global talent pool to officiate across the entire motor sport portfolio – FIA has made an initial investment of Euros 1.6m solely on sporting governance in the area of officiating under the new Presidential team.

The first major event of the FIA’s expanded High Performance Program (HPP) for officials was concluded in Geneva yesterday – a strategic initiative from FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to create a talent pool to operate across all FIA championships.

The HPP is an FIA University-accredited initiative introduced by the FIA leadership team among a raft of measures which align with the not-for-profit organization’s manifesto pledges to improve the standard of sporting regulation while placing greater emphasis on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

The three-day gathering  brought together a diverse group of 24 trainees (eight Stewards and 16 Race Directors) along with FIA experts and mentors. Trainees comprised representatives from five continents with 17 FIA Member Clubs represented.

The candidates will benefit from training and guidance by FIA experts and mentors throughout 2023 as they take their first steps on the HPP development pathway.

A broad range of topics were covered during the event at the FIA Headquarters in Geneva. They included assessment of racing incidents informed by data and analysis from the FIA Remote Operations Center (ROC). Workshops featured current FIA Race Directors and Stewards including the Formula 1 Race Director Niels Wittich. A presentation was given by Alejandra Salmeron Garcia from the FIA Legal Department while Tanya Kutsenko, the global motor sport body’s first EDI Advisor, also addressed the group.

While the HPP is aimed at grass roots development, the Race Direction Development Program (RDDP), instigated by the FIA President in 2022, is designed to streamline the existing Race Direction operation.

The objectives of the RDDP are to quantify the performance of Race Direction and Stewarding, and to create a culture of critical reflection and constant improvement and provide analysis and feedback to identify areas for support and development.

Central to both programs is the data and analysis provided by the FIA Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Geneva. The ROC was established at the end of the 2021 Formula 1 season.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “My leadership team inherited a number of challenges when we took office at the end of 2021. It has been well documented that one of those was Race Control management. We have made changes to the Race Control operation and we have devised the High Performance Program to ensure that we have a pathway of talent coming through for the years ahead. As a not for profit, we are taking funds received through our championships and  investing heavily in this area, engaging FIA Member Clubs from all regions to future-proof the next generation of officials and to benefit motor sport from grass roots to world championships.

“The High Performance Program has been introduced to identify and nurture a pool of talent to create continuity and consistency,  ensuring that we bring rigor and best practice to the regulation of the sport.

“This initiative also aligns with our mission of creating equal opportunities across the entire geographic spread of our global membership. The men and women who participated in our kick-off event in Geneva and will be mentored throughout 2023 and beyond. They are the future of officiating for the FIA.”

Tuta Mionki, Steward trainee from Kenya, said: “I have made the move from competition to officiating and I am seeking a career in Stewarding. To have the opportunity to be able to interact with the trainers and mentors on this initiative is invaluable. It was very special to be among such famous names. I am honored to have been selected to become part of the High Performance Program and I’m very excited by what lies ahead.”

Mohammed Al Hashmi, Steward trainee from UAE, said: “In 2017, I was honored to receive the FIA Best Marshal Award. I am really passionate about motor racing, and I also have a strong interest in road safety as the head of road safety in the Abu Dhabi government. Sitting beside these mentors during workshops and having them share their experience and their knowledge is an amazing experience. I consider this weekend as excellent training for the future.”

Neus Santamaria, Race Director trainee from Spain, said: “To come here to the FIA and share the weekend with such an amazing and inspiring group of people is fantastic. We have seen some of them on TV or on webinars, Niels Wittich for instance the Formula 1 Race Director, but to come here and see them face to face and learn from them is a great experience. My big take out from the event is that communication is key and so is honesty. If we get something wrong we need to admit our mistakes and make sure we learn from it.”

Ronan Morgan, FIA Advisor, said: “This is an initiative from the President through the FIA University which has been newly created for sport. We are on a new trajectory within the FIA as regards education and training. We have selected candidates from an initial group of 500 people and inducted them on this High-Performance Program. That includes 16 Race Director and 8 Steward trainees. We have to ensure that we have sufficient Race Directors and Stewards for the future. The sport is growing so quickly and becoming so popular and need to keep pace with that as the governing body. The wealth of experience we have among our mentor group is unparalleled. We are incredibly lucky that we can pass on this experience to the next generation.”

The FIA President added that the HPP was just one area in which the FIA is making significant change. During a 12-month period of transformation, a number of other initiatives have been introduced. These align with the Presidential team’s manifesto pledges of increased transparency, growing EDI and doubling motor sport participation globally.They include:

  • Restructuring of the FIA, including the appointment of our first CEO to oversee a significant reduce the organization’s operating deficit 
  • The FIA Immersion Program which aims at equipping young members from Sporting Clubs across the world with the skills and mindset to become future leaders of motor sport
  • The creation of the FIA Motor Sport Engineering Scholarship – a unique global talent search initiative which provides a pathway for a talented young engineers from one of the FIA regions to obtain a Master’s in Advanced Motorsport Engineering
  • A simplified FIA Sport Grant Program application process which allocates technical and financial support to Member Clubs to develop motor sport throughout the world and to promote safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all
  • Investment of 600,000 Euros in the launch of the Affordable Cross Car initiative from 2023 featuring local production to create a cost-effective entry point to the sport, particularly in developing regions
  • Successful 2026 FIA Formula 1 Power Unit Regulations with 100% sustainable fuels has attracted new OEMs to the sport

Watch a video on the HPP event: 

February 19, 2023 

After FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in January that Formula 1 will continue to operate with several race directors at its helm, but with proper training, the FIA tweeted this view of the intense training process.

The fallout from F1’s race direction fiasco in Abu Dhabi in 2021 led to the demise of race director Michael Masi and to structural changes to the role which was eventually split between Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas.

“There is a process now, and I have a team who is going through a proper process and training for stewarding, and for race directors,” Ben Sulayem.

“You cannot just have one race director and rely on them. I see that we should prepare the second role. We cannot rely in the biggest discipline that we have, or any other discipline.

“What if something happened? If we are going to sustain motorsport, we have to be ready with training.

“I am a big believer that there is, somewhere in the world, better race directors than anyone, better stewards.

“Now we are reaching to the ASNs [National Sporting Authorities] and we are asking them to send us people for the training, and we have a proper team now for the training.

“You will get good [officials]. I promise this.”

FIA Press Release

The FIA has expanded its FIA Race Directors and Stewards Development Pathways through the launch of the new FIA High Performance Program for Officials.

The best talent around the world has been selected and the FIA is accelerating their growth to ensure a pool of qualified experts is available for all the FIA World Championship events. This program is also in line with the overall strategy of making motor sport more accessible and creating equal opportunities for participation and professional growth.

The inaugural edition of this initiative will kick off in Geneva from February 17-19 and will feature a diverse group of 24 trainees (eight Stewards and 16 Race Directors) along with FIA experts and mentors. In the course of a rigorous competency-based selection process, men and women from all the five continents had equal opportunity for assessment and access to the program. Most experienced FIA experts and mentors have been assigned to training and development of the trainees, representing 17 different FIA Member Clubs.

The trainees are then set to carry out a bespoke experience-building program through attendance at various FIA motor sport events to shadow and observe senior FIA officials who will act as their mentors.

As part of the FIA High Performance pathways initiative, the FIA Race Directors Seminar and International Stewards Program, that annually facilitate exchange of best practices between race officials, both previously held across a two-day online format, will be transformed into a series of webinars. This will foster the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for Race Directors and Stewards involved in FIA Championships and International Series worldwide.

The program will also provide greater access to training for Race Directors and Stewards via a consistent spread of the webinars, addressing the changing needs of the sport throughout the year.

In order to support development of officials at a Regional level and their progression to International level, the FIA Regional Stewards training program will be delivered in 2023 and a FIA Race Directors Regional Training Program will also be developed.

These programs will contain Regional-based content. Furthermore, the FIA will launch support mechanisms for ASNs via bespoke programs for ASN personnel and the provision of delivery content and methodology should it be required – to support the recruitment and training of both Race Directors and Stewards at National level. This is aligned to the FIA commitment to empowering regions and delivering enhanced value to Clubs.

The expansion of the FIA Race Directors and Stewards Development Pathways contributes to making motor sport more accessible via the provision and increased accessibility of training across the world at all levels, supporting the FIA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) agenda and commitment to doubling of motor sport participation worldwide.

Robert Reid, FIA Deputy President for Sport, said: “By investing in training, we invest in the future and ensure that the new generation of officials is developed according to a universal set of high standards and best practices. The role of the FIA as the governing body of world motor sport is to make our knowledge and expertise available to our Member Clubs and the FIA High Performance Program embodies this approach perfectly, through the development of officials at regional level and creating a career path that can lead them to the very top of motor sport regardless of their country of origin and professional background.”