It’s with great sadness that the motorsport community mourns the loss of long-time FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting. He was taken suddenly in Australia, just three days before the start of the 2019 F1 season, at the age of 66.
Whiting was a familiar face in the Formula One scene, overseeing the sport’s logistics, car inspections and rule enforcement. He was also the man who controlled the lights at the start of the race.
Whiting first joined Formula One in 1977, working as a mechanic for Hesketh Racing. When the team folded in 1978, he moved to the Brabham team, then managed by Bernie Ecclestone. He remained with the team for a number of years, rising through the ranks to the position of chief engineer.
In 1988, he left the team to take a position with the FIA as a Technical Delegate. He was eventually promoted to FIA Race Director and Safety Delegate in 1997; a position which he held until passing away at the age of 66 after suffering a pulmonary embolism in Melbourne.
“I have known Charlie for all of my racing life,” explained Ross Brawn, a long-time friend of Whiting. “We worked as mechanics together, became friends and spent so much time together at race tracks across the world. I was filled with immense sadness when I heard the tragic news. I’m devastated. It is a great loss not only for me personally but also the entire Formula 1 family, the FIA and motorsport as a whole. All our thoughts go out to his family.”
