A top FIA officer has been forced to dismiss suggestions of bias stemming from her previous affiliation with Mercedes.
Shaila-Ann Rao became the governing body's interim secretary general for motorsport at the start of June, replacing the outgoing Peter Bayer. But before returning to the FIA, she spent three years working with the Silver Arrows, most recently as a special advisor to team boss Toto Wolff.
Her appointment didn't go down too well with some of Mercedes' rivals. Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto admitted at the time he was "concerned", adding: "She's a great person, she's got a lot of experience. She will certainly be capable of doing the job. I'm pretty sure on that.
