The FIA has appointed Northern Ireland’s Paul Burns as their new F1 deputy race director.
The role of F1 deputy race director has been vacant since Claire Dubbelman left at the beginning of 2026. The Dutchwomen left the FIA to join the Saudi Automotive and Motorcycle Federation. She had starting to work in race control through 2022, before taking on a role full-time in 2023. In 2024 she was appointed deputy race director.
In a post on Instagram, Dubbelman announced her decision to step away from the FIA. She said, “My time at the FIA has been one of the most intense and rewarding experiences of my career. Leaving wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one for me.
“I’m grateful for everything this chapter gave me: the people, the lessons, and the moments I’ll carry with me. I left with pride, clarity, and excitement for what comes next. Here’s to building, learning, and stepping into new challenges with energy and confidence.”
Dubbleman joins the various other employees who have recently left the FIA, such as Robert Reid, Sara Mariani, and current Alpine team principal Steve Nielsen.
The career path of Paul Burns as he comes FIA F1 deputy race director
Paul Burns has been with the FIA since 2023 in various roles, including single-seater system analyst, sporting analyst, and, in 2025, he served as the assistant race director for F2.
Before that, he had over 10 years at FOM (Formula One Management). With F1, Burns worked with the FIA, various circuit and event officials. He also worked with different series and championship organisers.
The Northern Irishman was also doing work the timekeeping team, covering over 100 Grands Prix races.
Burns promotion sees him now working alongside Rui Marques, the lead F1 race director.
Marques has been the lead Race Director since November 2024, when he took over from Niels Wittich. Like Burns, Marques had worked in F2 and F3 before his promotion.
