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Replacing Sebastian Vettel: Carlos Sainz is to become the new director of the GPDA

The Formula One drivers’ union has found a successor to Vettel: Carlos Sainz is supporting the existing leadership around Alexander Wurz and George Russell

Carlos Sainz will be the new director of the Formula One drivers’ union GPDA. This was announced by the GPDA on its Instagram channel on Sunday. Sainz will now join the GPDA’s governing body, together with fellow directors George Russell and Anastasia Fowle, under the leadership of chairman Alexander Wurz.

“We are delighted to welcome Carlos as a GPDA director,” says Wurz. “He has been an active and dedicated member of the GPDA for many years, and we appreciate his willingness to take on this important role.”

A GPDA director plays a key role in representing the interests of drivers. His main responsibilities include promoting and improving safety standards at race tracks and in vehicles, as well as communicating with the FIA and rights holder Liberty Media. He also acts as a voice for drivers by coordinating and publicly representing their concerns and suggestions.

Sainz takes over the vacant seat on the GPDA board, which has been effectively empty since Sebastian Vettel’s resignation at the end of 2022 – and he is looking forward to the new role: “I am passionate about my sport and I think we drivers have a responsibility to do everything we can to work with Formula One stakeholders on many levels. Therefore, I am very happy and proud to do my part by taking on the role of Director of the GPDA.”

The GPDA was founded in 1961, with Stirling Moss as the first chairman. After an interim dissolution in 1982, the union was re-established in 1994 after the tragic events at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, where Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives. Incidentally, one of the main initiators of the re-establishment at the time was Niki Lauda.

Who is Anastasia Fowle?

Anastasia Fowle is a British lawyer specializing in the motorsport and automotive sectors. She is a partner at the law firm Shoosmiths LLP in London and has extensive experience in areas such as intellectual property, regulatory affairs, international litigation, and complex commercial and strategic projects.

In March 2021, she became the first non-racing driver to be appointed as a director of the GPDA, where she supports the work of Wurz, Russell and Sainz, primarily in the organizational area, by offering business, political, legal and strategic advice.

Directors of the GPDA:

Mark Webber (2003-2010)
Fernando Alonso (2006-2010)
Nick Heidfeld (2010)
Felipe Massa (2010-2013)
Sebastian Vettel (2010-2025)
Rubens Barrichello (2010-2011)
Pedro de la Rosa (2008-2010 and 2012-2014)
Jenson Button (2013-2017)
Alexander Wurz (1998-2001 and since 2014)
Romain Grosjean (2017-2020)
George Russell (since 2021)
Anastasia Fowle (since 2021)
Carlos Sainz (since 2025)

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