Paolo Basarri has reportedly resigned as the FIA’s compliance officer.
A senior FIA official has reportedly been fired after the governing body’s president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, lost trust in him.
The FIA’s compliance officer, Paolo Basarri, was removed of his duties last week, according to BBC Sport. It is stated that he was fired because Ben Sulayem lost confidence in his ability to accomplish his job.
Basarri is claimed to have refused many requests from Ben Sulayem, who objected to his approach. When asked about his departure from the FIA, he stated, “I cannot comment on this.”
Basarri is the official who wrote a report on charges that Ben Sulayem tampered with the operations of two races. The FIA president was accused of intervening to overturn a penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It was also stated that Ben Sulayem instructed officials not to certify the Las Vegas Grand Prix street circuit for the race last year. Following an examination by the FIA’s ethics committee, he was exonerated of all charges.
Basarri is the second senior official to quit the FIA in the past week. It comes after Niels Wittich stepped down as race director, with Rui Marques taking over for the final three events of the current season.
The FIA stated that Wittich had opted to step aside to “pursue new opportunities,” yet it has been widely believed that he was fired. He told BBC Sport earlier this week, “I can confirm that I got fired, and it was not my decision to leave F1.”
The departures of Basarri and Wittich continue the FIA’s trend of losing key figures during the last year. Steve Nielsen resigned as sporting director in December, following Deborah Mayer’s resignation as head of the FIA’s women’s commission.
Natalie Robyn stepped down as CEO of the FIA in May after only 18 months in the position. Before that, Tim Goss resigned from his position as single-seater technical director. He currently works for the VCARB team.
Luke Skipper, Director of Communications, and Jacob Bangsgaard, Secretary General of Mobility, both left the FIA earlier this year. It remains to be seen whether other high-profile departures will occur, as the governing body struggles to retain key officials.
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