F1 governing body axe Diversity and Inclusion director in major reshuffle

Formula 1

F1 governing body axe Diversity and Inclusion director in major reshuffle

F1's governing body has announced another senior departure

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 20 June 2025 03:00

The FIA have announced the departure of a major figure in the organization, amid a major restructuring.

The organization have confirmed changes to its Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion areas, which will now be split up going forward.

Sara Mariani had been the FIA's Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) director, but this week, it has been announced she will no longer serve in the role, having been axed from the job after just 18 months.

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In an official announcement from the governing body, the restructuring was announced to take immediate effect from 23 June 2025, with Mariani leaving the FIA on 20 June 2025 as a result.

Following confirmation of Mariani's departure, Alberto Villareal, General Manager at the FIA, said: "The decision to restructure our Sustainability and D&I function has been taken, after careful consideration by the senior leadership team, to strengthen our capabilities across these two crucial areas.

"As we continue to streamline our internal operations and improve our systems and processes within the FIA, we are confident that this structural change will enable us to maximise on the value we are delivering to all of our stakeholders."

Flurry of FIA departures continues

Moving forward, the FIA’s sustainability programme will run with the secretary general for mobility at the helm, Willem Groenewald, and the responsibility of Diversity and Inclusion will now be handed to senior human resources director Alessandra Malhame.

The latest FIA axing comes after Robert Reid resigned dramatically earlier this year.

The former deputy president for sport took to his personal social media to condemn the FIA and how it was being run, declaring that he had been treated 'unfairly' for speaking up.

In his rather public resignation, Reid wrote: "If motorsport is to remain credible and thrive into the future, it must be governed not by control, but by collaboration. Not by silence, but by accountability."

According to the BBC, Mariani has now left a note of her own having been dropped from the position she took up in December 2023, which reportedly read: ""There is a life outside the FIA. A life where talent and dedication are rewarded. Where women in leadership positions can thrive, feel valued and respected."

She later added: "It is, sadly, time to say goodbye. I loved the ride, I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed the amazing work we did and my incredibly talented team. I did not expect it would end so abruptly but life goes on."

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