The FIA has confirmed that Steven Nielsen will be replaced by Tim Malyon as sporting director within the body’s single-seater department, with Nielsen having only held the position for a year. Malyon will oversee all sporting matters, including race direction and the FIA’s Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Geneva, reporting to Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater director. Niels Wittich will continue as race director.
Malyon, who formerly worked at Sauber and Red Bull among other companies, took on the role of head of research within the FIA in 2019, and then safety director, while also acting as project lead on the ROC since mid-2022.
Confirming Malyon’s appointment, Tombazis said, “I am excited to welcome Tim to the role of single-seater sporting director. 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.”
The FIA acknowledged that Nielsen played an integral role in the organization’s updating of race control procedures. Tombazis commented, “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 FIA also confirmed that Tim Goss will leave his position as technical director to take up a position outside of the federation. “We are disappointed to lose a person of Tim’s caliber from the organization. Tim has played a major part in the technical department and has always operated at 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,” Tombazis concluded.
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