The FIA has announced the departure of interim Secretary General for Sport Shaila-Ann Rao following the end of the Formula 1 season.

Rao was brought in to help president Mohammed Ben Sulayem during the transition period after former Secretary General for Sport and F1 Executive Director Peter Bayer left in June. Rao’s appointment raised eyebrows among some teams as she joined following a spell at Mercedes as General Counsel and then Special Advisor to Toto Wolff.

Those links were questioned by Red Bull when the team was unhappy about what it felt were information leaks relating to the first budget cap submissions, when the team was found to be in minor overspend breach and its situation became the center of paddock reports weeks before the FIA made any announcement.

The FIA says the transitory period is now coming to an end and Rao leaves theorganization following the conclusion of the 2022 Formula 1 season, with sources telling RACER she resigned from the governing body rather than seeking another position.

“On behalf of everyone at the FIA, I would like to thank Shaila-Ann for her invaluable contribution in her role as Interim Secretary General for Motor Sport during an important transitional phase for the organization,” Ben Sulayem said. “In particular, Shaila-Ann has provided me with great support in respect to Formula 1, always acting with professionalism and integrity.”