BHP Fellow of Leadership in Maintenance at The University of Western Australia’s Business School has been appointed President of Safety Commission for world motorsport body Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

Geraldton-born Australian Formula 1 veteran and software pioneer Sam Michael, who teaches the Leadership in Maintenance unit at UWA, will take up the presidency of the peak body for safety in world motorsport. 

During his 21 years in Formula 1, Mr Michael participated in the sport’s safety through the F1 Technical Working Group. 

Since leaving F1 and returning to Australia Mr Michael has served as a director of the Australian Institute of Motor Sport Safety and as an advisor to Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s research working group.

In his new role, which is voluntary, Mr Michael will take up the presidency of the Safety Commission, which reviews FIA Safety Department projects and decisions on all aspects of motorsport safety, including circuits, medical, closed road, volunteers and officials, disability and accessibility.

 “Safety is as fundamental to motorsport as the competition itself,” Mr Michael said. 

“Motorsport demonstrates that it is not only possible but essential to work safely as well as efficiently and effectively. 

“There can be no trade-off. Since 1994, the FIA and FIA Foundation have carried out pioneering work on new safety technologies, such as the Halo device which has already saved many drivers from certain injury.”

Mr Michael said he had also learnt a lot about safety through his work with leading resources and infrastructure companies in Australia and internationally and through his teaching at UWA. 

“The Leadership in Maintenance unit that I co-present at The University of Western Australia has safety leadership as a core subject,” Mr Michael said.

“There was a time when both motorsports and industry treated safety as a side issue, but now you cannot be a leader unless you understand how people and machines can work safely together and make safety a principle in everything that you do.

“I am looking forward to working with the Safety Commission, the FIA’s Safety Department, and participants in all the different categories of motorsport to pursue the goal of zero injuries and incidents, and to bring what I learn from that to my own work and teaching.”