Sad news in the Formula 1 world with the passing of former Force India team boss Bob Fernley.
I interviewed Bob in Austin during the USGP one year and he was a very nice and immensely insightful guy on how an F1 car works as well as how a team works.
While his stint with McLaren for their Indycar project didn’t work out and left Zak Brown very upset and Bob out of a job, his work with Force India was important during the formative years and with a team with an anemic budget.
Many have ascribed Force India’s real success to Otmar Szafnauer and while that may or may not be the case, I found Bob incredibly knowledgeable and a real gentleman when I interviewed him.
He most recently was the head of the FIA’s single-seater commission from 2020-22.
F1 boss Stefano Domenicali said: “I am saddened to hear the news that Bob Fernley has passed away. He was such an important part of F1 and his love and passion for the sport will live forever. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.”
