FIA Deputy President Robert Reid steps down citing ‘principals, not politics’

Robert Reid, the FIA Deputy President for Sport, announced his resignation from that post on Wednesday. In a statement made on social media, Reid stated that he “took on this role to help deliver greater transparency, stronger governance, and more collaborative leadership.”

However, Reid indicated that “those principles have been increasingly set aside,” and that he can “no longer, in good faith, remain part of a system that no longer reflects them.”

Reid’s resignation comes a day after it surfaced that David Richards, the chairperson of Motorsport UK, renewed his criticism over the FIA’s new use of confidentiality agreements. Richards published an open letter to the motorsport governing body in March raising concerns over the use of confidentiality agreements, revealing that he and other members of the World Motor Sport Council — including Reid — were barred from attending a meeting due to their refusal to sign a new confidentiality agreement.

The FIA sent a response to Richards on Monday, noting that such agreements were “very much a standard part of business.”

Richards stood by his initial position in response, reiterating his position that the agreement requirements are tantamount to a “gagging order.”

Reid’s resignation is the latest step in this ongoing fight:

In one of his letters to the FIA, Richards vigorously defended Reid. “Robert Reid ... was elected as the FIA deputy president for sport, and the promise that he would be empowered to work with the FIA executive team to drive the sport forward,” wrote Richards. “I think he has done an excellent job in this regard and made a positive impact worldwide.

“Increasingly, actions have been taken which have undermined the proper functioning of Robert’s elected role; this includes being denied access to materials, banned from meetings and even attending world championship events. Again, this is not what we voted for.”

Reid, who won the World Rally Championship alongside Richard Burns in 2001, was part of the ticket along with current FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in 2021.