(Motorsports news) Dieter Rencken, a former F1 writer who has been working as an advisor to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for several months, will take over the post, immediately. Rencken is expected to report directly to Ben Sulaye and he has been charged with supporting the governing body in the creation and implementation of F1 changes. The FIA is distinct from F1’s commercial rights holders, FOM.
He will also contribute to discussions over the new Concorde Agreement, the contract that governs Formula One and is set to enter into force in 2026. The notion of the FIA establishing a dedicated F1 commissioner has been discussed multiple times in the past, with previous FIA president Jean Todt including it in his platform when he assumed office in 2009.
However, the proposals were later abandoned on two independent grounds. First, Todt found it impossible to locate the ideal candidate since, as a non-profit organization, the FIA could not afford to pay enough for the top applicants. “We need to find somebody who is willing to give his time, with his capacity, almost free of charge,” Todt remarked at the time.
“It is something that makes the choice more difficult but we are at quite a good point, and for me I prefer to wait a few months and have the profile I want to find rather than rush to fill the position.” Todt eventually dropped the proposal because he felt the commissioner post was unnecessary with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone in charge of the F1 Commission.
However, Todt’s successor, Ben Sulayem, stated last month that he needed more people working around him as he expressed confidence in individuals who will manage the Concorde Agreement discussions. “It’s not a one-man show,” he emphasized. “I always go to our group.” If you had asked me six months ago, I would have told you that I didn’t have enough [of a] good team to negotiate this.
“We have a good single-seater [technical department] and everything else.” However, when it comes to discussion, technical people are not involved: technical people are concerned with restrictors, sound, and PU. That is not the case with the commercial side. “So now I have a good team.” It’s a fantastic time to get started. However, our house is not on fire. And the new Concorde Agreement should be fair to all three stakeholders: the FIA, the FOM, and the ten remaining teams. That’s where I believe we’ll feel happy.”
