The sudden departure of Formula 1’s race director Niels Wittich has caught the entire paddock by surprise and is leaving the beleaguered governing body with more questions than answers, some more uncomfortable than others.
Was Wittich pushed or did he jump?
The FIA announced on Tuesday Wittich was “stepping down” after less than three seasons as F1’s race director, two of which by himself after initially splitting duties with FIA WEC race director Eduardo Freitas. And while thanking the 52-year-old German for his services, the phrase that Wittich left to “pursue other interests” is the oldest trick in the book to suggest someone has been dismissed rather than stepped back voluntarily. And indeed it soon emerged that the decision did not come from Wittich, who appeared to confirm to the German outlet Motorsport Magazin that he was only told hours before the FIA statement that his services were no longer required. Senior sources have since confirmed to Motorsport.com that Wittich was let go.
Funnily enough, Wittich is not even the first FIA race director to be said to “pursue other interests”, with Roger Lane-Nott’s departure in 1996 described in the same terms. After a tough single season as F1’s race director, former submarine commander Lane-Nott was replaced by FIA president Max Mosley by the much missed Charlie Whiting.
Why did Wittich go now?
The most puzzling aspect of Wittich’s replacement by F2 and F3 director Rui Marques is the timing, with three races left to run in the 2024 campaign and one week before F1 travels to Las Vegas. While there had been rumours about FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem looking at making a change, the shock timing of the announcement has appeared to taken many people in the paddock by surprise, not least people within the FIA itself.
Race control had caught flack at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with Red Bull unhappy with the timing of a red flag in qualifying that it felt cost Max Verstappen, and with questions raised over the late virtual safety car call in the sprint race for a stricken Nico Hulkenberg. But generally Wittich has been well regarded and uncontroversial, and acknowledged by many as doing a very difficult job relatively well under challenging circumstances, returning some stability to the role after Michael Masi’s fraught spell at the helm.
There has also been unease over the consistency of judging incidents and handing out penalties, but it must be pointed out that this does not fall under race control, which can only refer incidents to the stewards for them to evaluate further.
Niels Wittich, FIA
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Wittich’s replacement will now be dropped into the hotseat ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is operationally one of the most challenging circuits to manage. It is far from an ideal scenario for someone new to the role, with controlling an F1 race a big step up from other FIA series.
The race around the famed Las Vegas Strip eventually made a successful debut last year, but not before several teething issues in practice, the most spectacular being Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz suffering a heavy crash after dislodging a water valve cover at full speed.
The iconic boulevard itself is also re-opened to the public before and after the on-track action, adding to the complexity of the event.
Who is Wittich’s replacement?
Wittich’s replacement Rui Marques is another well regarded figure within the FIA, who joined the governing body in 2014. Following a spell as the deputy race director in the FIA’s World Touring Car Cup, the Portuguese moved across to single-seaters and became the race director for F2 and F3 in 2022. Marques also has previous experience as an international steward and circuit inspector, giving him a solid all-round perspective of all the moving parts involved in FIA sanctioned racing.
What does this say about the FIA?
Whatever the ulterior motives behind Wittich’s removal, his shock exit comes off the back of a string of high-profile departures from the governing body under president Ben Sulayem, whose heavy-handed approach has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
In October the FIA parted ways with its director of communications Luke Skipper and secretary general of mobility Jacob Bangsgaard. Late last year both sporting director Steve Nielsen and single-seater technical director Tim Goss resigned, while head of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission Deborah Mayer also left. The FIA’s first CEO Natalie Robyn also quit the organisation in May after less than two years in the role.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images
Following the latest departures in October, the FIA was keen to announce the appointment of Alberto Villarreal as general manager and new Senior HR Director Alessandra Malhame.
Ben Sulayem has also alienated F1’s driver corps through clampdowns on the use of jewellery and swearing, the latter netting Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc punishments in recent races. Last week the drivers union GPDA called on Ben Sulayem to treat drivers as adults and reconsider his approach.
In an interview with Motorsport.com in September, Ben Sulayem acknowledged that it was hard for the FIA to find qualified race directors, announcing a new department to train officials from grassroots level.
“We have an issue and the issue is that we don’t have [enough] race directors. You cannot order them on Amazon or Google. No, you have to train them,” he said. “If we take what we are doing today in Formula 1, you cannot rely on one. God forbid something happens to him. So, we have to be able to meet the level of demand and have a pathway that’s good.
“We have departments for many things, but we [didn’t] have a department for one thing which is like a spinal cord for us, which is the stewarding and race direction. So, now we have a proper department.”
The latest high-profile departure, in a department which Ben Sulayem has admitted is a pinch point for the organisation, will not ease calls from F1 teams clamouring for more stability. Therefore the FIA, which has been tight-lipped about it all, will have some explaining to do.
