FIA confirm Menkies to depart and join Ferrari

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 at 16:23

FIA's safety director Laurent Mekies is leaving the FIA to join Ferrari in a quest to bolster their technical team ahead of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship season which begins in Australia on the weekend of 23-25 March.

Last year Renault's controversial hiring of former FIA technical chief Marcin Budkowski sparked discord among other teams, including Ferrari.

Mekies was regarded as the heir to the F1 Race Director role currently held by Charlie Whiting and again the appointment could ruffle feathers in the paddock.

After six months 'gardening leave' Mekies will join the Maranello team in September, bringing to an end an almost four your stint with the FIA.

Ferrari said the Frenchman would report to their technical director Mattia Binotto once at Maranello but did not state the role.

Official FIA statement:

"After more than three years at the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Laurent Mekies, FIA Safety Director and Deputy to the F1 Race Director, is to leave the Federation."

"Mr Mekies joined the FIA in October 2014 as Safety Director, being responsible for all Safety and Medical matters for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile across all its Championships, as well as R&D and homologation activities for both track and road."

"At the start of 2017 he was appointed Deputy F1 Race Director in addition to his existing duties. In this capacity he worked alongside F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting throughout the 2017 F1 Season, dealing principally with sporting matters."

"Until his departure from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile at the end of June, Mr Mekies will continue to act as FIA Safety Director. However, he will immediately cease all Formula 1 duties and will no longer be involved in any Formula 1 matter, stepping down from his role as Deputy F1 Race Director with immediate effect."

Mekies has been in racing since graduating Loughborough University for Automotive Engineering in 2000, working for the AsiaTech F3 team for two seasons prior to moving up to the Minardi F1 Team in 2003.

When Minardi became Toro Rosso in 2005, Meikies was promoted to the Chief Engineer position. He remained with the Faenza based outfit until 2014, whereafter he joined the FIA.