Another shock departure from FIA reported in slew of alleged dismissals

The FIA has allegedly parted ways with another senior staff member, with compliance officer Paolo Basarri reported as having been dismissed from the governing body.

According to a report from the BBC, Paolo Basarri will no longer hold the role of the governing body’s compliance officer, a role he has occupied since 2017 under Jean Todt’s presidency.

Paolo Basarri reported as ‘fired’ from FIA

A report from the BBC, published on Thursday, alleged long-time FIA compliance officer Paolo Basarri has been fired due to the President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, “losing confidence in him”.

Basarri declined to comment on the allegation when asked by the BBC, while the FIA has been approached for comment by PlanetF1.com.

Basarri’s alleged dismissal comes just two days following the departure of F1 Race Director Niels Wittich – the German has overseen control of every Grand Prix since the start of 2023, having shared the role with Eduardo Freitas during ’22 following the departure of Michael Masi.

Wittich is quoted as having told Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin that he did not resign.

Basarri’s name became widely known in 2023 when, following allegations of Ben Sulayem interfering in race matters pertaining to a penalty awarded to Fernando Alonso in Saudi Arabia as well as reportedly asking officials not to sign off on the FOM-led Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit, the compliance officer led the internal investigation into these matters.

Ben Sulayem was later cleared of all allegations.

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Separately, Basarri was also the official who investigated Lance Stroll’s push on trainer Harry Howe after qualifying at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, as well as investigating allegations into whether an F1 team boss had received confidential information from an employee of FOM.

His role, which reported to the FIA Senate, saw him assume responsibility for ensuring compliance with internal and external regulations, such as the FIA’s Code of Ethics, as well as investigating alleged concerns of misconduct, and supporting the activities of the FIA’s Ethics Committee.

Basarri’s departure is thus the second high-profile split from the FIA in a week, which follows on from other recent high-profile departures under Ben Sulayem’s administration.

Last month, director of communications Luke Skipper and secretary general of mobility Jacob Bangsgaard both left their roles, following on from Natalie Robyn leaving her position as the FIA’s first CEO – a role established by Ben Sulayem in 2022.

Last January, Tim Goss departed his role as single-seater technical director, now replaced by Nikolas Tombazis, while sporting director Steve Nielsen and head of the FIA’s commission for women Deborah Mayer left late last year.

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