Former Mercedes advisor responds to criticism over her new FIA role

Mercedes' former advisor, Shaila-Ann Rao, has responded to suspicions from Formula One teams about her position within the FIA. According to Rao, there is no preferential treatment towards Mercedes.

Rao first worked as a personal advisor to Toto Wolff at Mercedes, but since June she has been working in a high-ranking position within the FIA as Secretary General for Autosport. Not all teams were equally enthusiastic about this, with Mattia Binotto, among others, expressing concerns about the situation.

Rao worked for the Mercedes team for more than three years but denies giving preferential treatment to her former employers when making decisions. The FIA employee is therefore not worried about the rumours.

Rao responds to criticism

"Before I worked for Mercedes, I was director of legal affairs at the FIA. That's how the world of F1 works, you go from one team to another. It's full of ex-employees, even Stefano Domenicali worked at Ferrari. I'm not worried about certain rumours, I'll move on and keep doing what I've always done - work", she tells Corriere della Sera.

Rao's new position comes at a difficult time, as six teams have opposed the change in FIA rules regarding porpoising. The FIA can implement the new rules without the teams' consent when it comes to safety. The rules are said to be mainly designed to help Mercedes. The team of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell was hit hardest by the bouncing.