Ferrari: "It's a concern, but only a concern"

Last week it was announced that Peter Bayer has resigned his role as secretary-general, head of single-seater affairs and executive director of F1. Shaila-Ann Rao was appointed as his successor. At Ferrari, there are some concerns about that appointment, Mattia Binotto told the team bosses' press conference.

Between 2016 and 2018, Rao served as legal director at the FIA, then left for Mercedes to work as general counsel and special advisor to team owner Toto Wolff. So Rao now holds a key position within the FIA. The word "conflict of interest" soon comes up, especially since her former employer is currently having a hard time in Formula 1.

At Ferrari they acknowledge that there are "concerns," but at the same time the Italian formation is convinced that Rao will act completely independently now that she is employed by the international motorsport federation. "It's a concern, but only a concern," Binotto says. "It’s down to them to make sure there will be no conflicts of interest at all, to behave properly. And it’s down to the president [Mohammed Ben Sulayem] to ensure it. I’ve got the trust they will do it."

Ferrari trusts Rao and FIA

The Italian team boss further has nothing but praise for Rao. "She’s a great person, she’s got a lot of experience. She will certainly be capable of doing the job. I’m pretty sure on that. I’m pretty sure that through the behaviours, through the decisions, they will prove it’s a wrong concern.”