The FIA has announced Shaila-Ann Rao has returned to the governing body, taking up a new role as advisor to president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has appointed Rao to become his advisor, a role she will take up on May 1st, 2025.

Shaila-Ann Rao returns to the FIA

Shaila-Ann Rao has been welcomed back to the FIA by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, with the lawyer having previously worked with the FIA for two separate tenures.

Rao returns as advisor to the president, and will advise Ben Sulayem on matters pertaining to regulatory and commercial across the FIA’s spectrum of seven World Championships.

She previously worked with the FIA as its legal director between 2016 and ’18 before departing to take up a role as a special advisor and legal counsel to the Mercedes F1 team.

She left this role in mid-2022, returning to the FIA to succeed Peter Bayer as an interim secretary general of motorsport before leaving the role after that season. Her return to the FIA had courted some controversy at the time, due to her links to Mercedes, with Red Bull – in particular – highlighting her position as a concern following the team being hit with a financial penalty for a breach of the 2021 budget cap.

Ben Sulayem dismissed these concerns, saying, “When it comes to Shaila-Ann, there was an accusation that she is mainly a supporter of Mercedes.

“Actually, when the penalties were there, she said: ‘It’s a bit harsh.’ And I said: ‘My God, there is someone accusing her of being with Mercedes and she’s saying to me that it’s harsh.’”

At the time of Rao’s departure from the FIA in late 2022, it was reported by the BBC that Rao had written a letter to the FIA accusing the president of alleged sexist behaviour, with a statement from the FIA stating that, “Due process was followed, with an amicable negotiation conducted by the president of the senate and, as such, no referrals were made to the ethics committee.

“As previously stated, both parties agreed she would leave her position in November 2022 and mutual privacy terms were agreed, as is common business practice.”

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Rao is a dual-qualified lawyer, being both an English solicitor and a French lawyer on the Paris bar, with her experience in global motorsport key for the FIA’s ongoing organisational transformation and financial reform – this reform being evident through its reported forecasted 2024 financial results of €2.2 million, up from a low of €24 million in the red following the conclusion of Jean Todt’s administration.

“I am delighted to welcome back Shaila-Ann Rao to the FIA,” said Ben Sulayem.

“She has an exceptional record in global motorsport and will be a great asset to me and my team as we continue to improve the regulatory and commercial frameworks across all the FIA World Championships benefiting our drivers, teams, and FIA Member Clubs. She will also advise me on matters related to all the FIA World Championship promoters.”

“I am looking forward to advising the FIA President across the FIA World Championships,” Rao said of her new role, “and building on the significant progress that has already been made during his Presidential term strengthening the Championships’ regulatory and commercial frameworks. The FIA holds a unique place in global sport, and I am excited to support the FIA at this time and to help the FIA President deliver an even stronger future for motorsport.”

Ben Sulayem has previously had an advisor reporting to him, with former F1 journalist Dieter Rencken having moved into the governing body in 2023 before being assigned a new role as F1 Commissioner in late 2023.

Separately, Ben Sulayem indicated earlier this week that he is considering “improvements” to the controversial swearing regulations introduced through Appendix B of the International Sporting Code. Clarity on these improvements are expected before this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

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