Tim Malyon appointed as new Sporting Director as FIA staff shake-up continues

Tim Malyon has been confirmed as the FIA’s new Sporting Director within the Single-Seater department, taken over the role of Steve Nielsen, who will leave the governing body at the end of January.

Formula One's governing body has confirmed the departure of Sporting Director, Steve Nielsen, who will leave the Federation at the end of January 2024. Having joined the FIA Single-Seater Department during a crucial phase of restructuring, Steve has been an integral part of the significant updates to Race Control procedures.

Speaking of his departure, Nielsen said: “I’d like to thank 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.”

FIA’s Single-Seater Director Nikolas 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.”

Tim Malyon is set to take over the role of Steve Nielsen, and will oversee all sporting matters, including Race Direction and the Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Geneva, and will report to Tombazis.

Malyon previously worked for Red Bull Racing for 12 years, having joined the team when it was known as Jaguar Racing. He worked in various race engineering roles and contributed to Red Bull’s four Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships in the period 2010-2013.

In 2015 he moved to Sauber Motorsport as its Head of Track Engineering before joining BMW Motorsport as a Chief Engineer for its DTM programme in mid-2016. After two successful years in DTM, which included one championship victory, he took on the roles of both Track Engineering Department Leader and Chief Engineer for BMW’s Formula E team.

He joined the FIA In 2019 as Head of Research and was subsequently appointed to the position of Safety Director in 2021. He was also integral to the establishment of the ROC and has performed the operational duties of ROC Project Leader since May 2022.

Malyon is Canadian born and has lived predominantly in the UK. He graduated from the University of Leeds (UK) with a master’s degree in Mechatronics.

In confirming Malyon’s appointment to the role of Sporting Director, 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 rigour 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.”

Malyon said: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of Sporting Director. 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.”

Under Malyon’s direction, Niels Wittich will continue in the role of Race Director.

As part of the restructuring process, the FIA has 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 calibre from the organisation. Tim 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,” Tombazis said.

Commenting on his departure, Goss said: “It’s been an honour to work as Technical Director at the FIA and to help shape the future of the sport. I take immense pride and satisfaction from the numerous achievements of the Technical Department during my stint at the FIA.

"The department boasts a number of highly-talented individuals and I believe the organisation is on a firm footing in terms of technical expertise for the tasks which lie ahead – particularly the introduction of the 2026 regulations. I leave with fond memories of my time with the FIA.”