F1 steward reveals shocking manner of FIA axe

Dismissed FIA steward Tim Mayer has revealed he was relieved of his volunteer role with the governing body via text message.

Mayer, who has been a been a steward for 15 years, confirmed he was made aware of the decision by one of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's assistants.

"For a federation that relies on volunteers to fire by text somebody who has made a significant contribution does not speak well of the management of the federation," Mayer told the BBC.

The root of the issue was Mayer dovetailing his FIA duties with his organiser role for F1's three United States-based rounds on the calendar.

"The official reason that will be given is they felt there was a conflict of interest with the FIA as I had led the right of review in my role as organiser," Mayer said.

"But that is not why I was fired. Being an organiser is a role that I have fulfilled, benefiting the FIA, for over 12 years. This isn't new."

The catalyst for the call to remove him from his position was a ruling at over the United States Grand Prix weekend in October.

What happened

When the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) was found to have fallen short of safety expectations after fans stormed the track upon conclusion of the race, it was Mayer's job to appeal some of the contents within the original decision.

According to him, Ben Sulayem "took offence" to the wording of the right of review document submitted by the Austin organisers.

The organisers had been found guilty and fined €500,000 (€350,000 suspended), but were "not best pleased" with the ruling. They did not seek to overturn the verdict, just part of the language used.

In Mayer's judgment, Ben Sulayem interpreted some of the contents in the appeal as "a personal attack on him", whilst adding: "I didn't write that part of the document, but it was my job to present it."

Mayer explained that his role in presenting the appeal led to him being removed from the stewards panel for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. However, he has since been fired from 2025 duties.

"In spite of the matter being resolved quietly and amicably, he [Ben Sulayem] is still upset and decided to fire me," added Mayer.

"After 15 years of volunteering my time as a steward, a decade teaching other stewards and hundreds of hours volunteering in other roles, I got a text from one of his assistants.

"There was no intention of trying to cause a problem with the FIA and I will continue as the sporting organiser of the three US Grands Prix. This was such a minor point that it is baffling that anyone would take such offence."

Why the right of review was filed

Ultimately COTA was able to have the wording of the original verdict amended, with the altered decision document no longer making reference to the organisers and track having "failed to take reasonable measures" to prevent the fan invasion at the chequered flag.

Mayer outlined why it was a point of contention, stating: "In US legalese, that is synonymous with negligence, which is problematic for a US corporate body".

"Following the right of review hearing, the stewards subsequently agreed with us and changed the penalty to a breach of Article 26.7 of the F1 regulations, which states that no one is allowed in the track before all the cars are in the pits, which is a statement of fact. Some fans did reach the track," Mayer added.

"In the process, there were hurt feelings on behalf of the president, which I think is odd because there was no cause for his feelings to be hurt when everyone else dealt with this in a professional manner."