Jaguar team director James Barclay will succeed BMW Andretti’s Roger Griffiths as chairman of the renamed Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association.
Motorsport.com revealed at the season four FE finale in New York that Griffiths – the BMW team boss – would step down from the role after overseeing the organisation for two seasons, with Barclay elected as his replacement.
“The Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association as it’s now known is an important body in the sense that it allows us to make sure we’re aligned on key strategic objectives from a team and manufacturer perspective,” said Barclay.
“We put our recommendations forward to Formula E and the FIA – we have a great collaborative environment in Formula E, it’s one of the things you hear people talk about quite often and it genuinely is true.
“The teams are very open and collaborative in terms of the major issues, helping when it comes to controlling the technology we’re looking at, managing costs.
“We work closely together, so that’s what the [FETAMA] group is fundamentally there to do.”
Originally formed ahead of FE’s inaugural season in 2014/15 as FETA, the organisation was first led by Mahindra Racing team boss Dilbagh Gill before Griffiths took over for seasons three and four.
“Dilbagh was the first chairman,” said Barclay. “Roger has had that role for a couple of years now – so we do kind of rotate and there’s a voting process that we go through.
“Roger decided that his tenure was at the point where he was ready to hand over the baton – we had a vote and the guys asked me to do it.
“So I’m more than happy step into that role. We all have a responsibility to do it at some point I would say, so I take on that baton for probably the next few years.”
Griffiths will remain as a member of FE’s Sporting Working Group, which reports to the championship organisers and the FIA regarding technical and sporting matters.
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