Former Drive India deputy group boss Bob Fernley has died aged 70.

He was well-known for working Drive India for its proprietor, the controversial businessman Vijay Mallya, for a decade after his acquisition of the group.

Fernley was most just lately the top of motorsport governing physique the FIA’s single-seater fee from 2020-22.

A preferred and jovial character, Fernley’s job title at Drive India was deputy group principal. However as Mallya hardly ever attended races, Fernley was the person in de facto cost at most grands prix.

And within the group’s latter years Mallya was in a position to attend just one race a 12 months – the British Grand Prix – as he was below felony investigation by the Indian authorities for monetary irregularities and unable to go away the UK.

Beneath Fernley’s stewardship, Drive India carved a fame for over-achieving regardless of its restricted monetary assets.

He oversaw podium finishes for Giancarlo Fisichella on the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, and for Sergio Perez in Bahrain in 2014, Russia in 2015, the Monaco and European Grands Prix in 2016 and the 2018 Azerbaijan race.

Fernley left the group when it was bought to the Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll in August 2018.

Stroll modified the group’s identify first to Racing Level and since 2021 it has raced as Aston Martin.

Fernley’s lengthy profession included the now-defunct Ensign F1 group and a number of other outfits within the US-based Indycar and CanAm collection.

He had an extended affiliation with Mallya, who introduced him in when he bought what was then referred to as the Spyker group in 2007. The group first got here into existence as Jordan in 1991 and continues to be based mostly on the identical Silverstone web site, the place a brand new manufacturing unit has been completed this month.

After Stroll’s buy-out, Fernley moved to McLaren to run their Indycar undertaking in 2019.

However his stewardship was not a hit and, after Fernando Alonso did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500 that 12 months, Fernley was dismissed.

F1 chairman and chief government officer Stefano Domenicali stated in tribute to Fernley: “I’m saddened to listen to the information that Bob Fernley has handed away. He was such an vital a part of F1 and his love and keenness for the game will reside eternally. My ideas are along with his household and associates at this very unhappy time.”