Bob Fernley
Bob Fernley (Robert George Fernley) was a British motorsport manager and businessman, born on 7 January 1953 in Stockport, England, and he died on 30 June 2023 at age 70 from bladder cancer.
He is best known for his role as deputy team principal of the Sahara Force India Formula One team. Fernley ran the team’s race-weekend operations and handled interactions with the FIA and Formula 1 when owner Vijay Mallya was away. He had a long background in racing management, including work in IndyCar in the United States.
When Spyker bought the F1 team and turned it into Force India, Fernley joined the new team’s board and stayed with Force India until its assets were bought by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll in August 2018.
In November 2018, he was named president of McLaren’s Indianapolis 500 project, reporting to Zak Brown. McLaren did not renew his contract in May 2019 after Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for the 2019 Indy 500.
In December 2020, Fernley was appointed chairman of the FIA’s Single-Seater Commission, a role he held until April 2022.
Fernley passed away on 30 June 2023 from bladder cancer, aged 70.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:52 (CET).