Former McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has taken on a temporary role with the FIA to advise the governing body on ways to reduce costs in Formula One.
Whitmarsh worked for McLaren for 24 years -- including five years as team principal -- before being ousted as the team's CEO by Ron Dennis. After leaving F1 in 2014 he worked in America's Cup yacht racing and is currently an advisor to the Land Rover BAR team.
An FIA spokesperson said: "Whitmarsh has accepted an invitation to work with the FIA on a temporary basis in order to support it in defining financial regulations for fair and sustainable competition in the FIA F1 world championship."
His new role with the FIA comes at a time when Formula One is considering the introduction of a budget cap to control costs. Formula One's new owners Liberty Media floated the idea among teams last year and the subject is expected to be on the agenda at Formula One's next Strategy Group meeting on Thursday.
Whitmarsh has experience with F1 cost control measures after serving as the chairman of the Formula One Teams' Asscociation between 2009 and 2013. During that time FOTA oversaw the implementation of a Resource Restriction Agreement among teams, which was designed to reduce spending but ultimately led to disputes between teams and the collapse of FOTA.
Whitmarsh also recently took up a position on Formula E's advisory board.