FIA Lacks Budget for F1 Commissioner

Taking the example of the North American professional sports, newly elected FIA president Jean Todt promised the world of motor racing that he will appoint a commissioner for every single racing series that is currently placed under the guidance of the ruling body. However, almost 5 months have passed since the FIA election process and Formula One is yet to find out the identity of its commissioner.

According to the Frenchman, the future F1 commissioner will be “responsible for the day to day management and governance,” of the championship, as in the case of all the other major FIA-sanctioned series – WRC, FIA WTCC, F2 and so on.

The reason why Todt is taking so long for appointing a new F1 commissioner is not because he wants to keep control over the series for as long as he wants, but because the budget of the ruling body makes this decision a very tough one. To be more precise, there doesn't seem to be any funds left for such a role.

“I am always very ambitious about the profile of the people working with me, and it is not very easy to find the right profile considering that the FIA has limited facilities, limited budgets. We need to find somebody who is willing to give his time, with his capacity, almost free of charge,” Todt told the reporters in Bahrain.

While present at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix – where he found the time to visit all the newly entrant teams for the 2010 season – the former Ferrari boss insisted that he will not rush his decision to appoint an F1 commissioner, despite the problems he's facing.

“I prefer to wait a few months and have the profile I want to find rather than rush to fill the position,” added the 64-year old.