The FIA has announced the appointment of Tim Maylon as Sporting Director to replace Steve Nielsen, while Tim Goss has vacated his role as Formula 1 Technical Director.
Maylon’s position will see him oversee all sporting matters for the FIA, with Race Direction and the Geneva-based Remote Operations Centre (ROC) under his purview and he will report to Single Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis.
Maylon’s career thus far has included a 12-year-long stint at Red Bull Racing that began when the Milton Keynes outfit raced under the Jaguar banner.
He has also worked as Head of Track Engineering at Sauber (2015-2015), Chief Engineer for BMW Motorsport’s DTM program, as well as Track Engineering Department Leader and Chief Engineer for the German Marque’s Formula E squad (2016-2018).
In 2019, the Candian-born Brit joined the FIA as Head of Research, before progressing to Safetey Director in 2021.
“I am delighted to be taking on the role of Sporting Director,” Maylon said of his new position.
“We have already brought significant change to our Race Direction operation with the support of the ROC and I look forward to taking that to the next level.
“We are also committed to a broad regulatory review of sporting matters, and I look forward to applying a sharper focus to those efforts in the future.”
Tombazis added: “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 rigour to our sporting and regulatory practices and procedures, and he will drive the innovation we have brought to our Race Control operation.”
The FIA notes that Race Director Niels Wittich will continue as Race Director, “under Maylon’s Direction.”
The appointment of Maylon represents a continual restructuring within the FIA as a number of key figures have departed in recent months.
This includes Maylon’s aforementioned predecessor Nielsen, who confirmed his resignation to the FIA on December 21.
Tombzais added: “Steve [Nielsen] 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.”
Nielsen thanked the FIA “for the opportunity to work on the regulatory side of the sport, which has been a fantastic experience for me over the past year.
“The FIA team working in Formula 1 are a hugely passionate, dedicated group of people who work incredibly hard to achieve the best outcomes for the sport, and I am sure that the positive work that we have done together already will continue into the future.”
Nielsen’s resignation came within a year of him taking on the role and days after Deborah Mayer announced she’d be stepping away as Head of the FIA’s Commission for Women.
Now, Goss too is leaving the FIA for a role elsewhere and Tombazis relayed that the FIA is “disappointed to lose a person of Tim’s calibre from the organisation,” adding that he “has played a major part in the Technical Department and has always operated to 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 endeavours.”
Goss stated that he leaves the FIA “with fond memories” and that it was “an honour to work as Technical Director at the FIA and to help shape the future of the sport.”
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