Niels Wittich was dismissed from his role with only three GPs left. The details of the case are still unclear, but the answer may be Ben Sulayem.
Niels Wittich will no longer be the Race Director of Formula 1. The announcement came from the FIA on Tuesday, together with the news of Rui Marquez taking his place starting from the Las Vegas GP. The German had to leave his position at the end of the season.
The Federation Internationale already notified him of his missed renewal for 2025. But Wittich did not expect to leave his place this suddenly, with only three races to go.
After the news came out, presenting it as his decision, Wittich responded with energy. He said to Motorsport Magazin that he hadn’t actually resigned. The implication was clear: it was Ben Sulayem’s decision. Apparently, after the two Grands Prix in Austin and Mexico, something shifted between the now ex-Race Director and the President of the FIA, Sulayem. The official post from the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association which addressed the ‘swearing ban’ could have also had a big role to play in this sudden decision.
Wittich in Formula 1
Niels started his career in F1 as Race Director together with Eduardo Freitas. The two stepped up after Michael Masi had to resign following the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. Masi decided not to let the fight for the title end under the Safety Car as per the rules. The debate born after this event is well known now.
Wittich and Freitas worked as a pair until the Grand Prix in Japan in 2022. On that occasion, Carlos Sainz had a crash due to the rain, but during the removal of his Ferrari, Pierre Gasly went over the speed limit under the red flag. Gasly had rejoined the track and was trying to catch up to the pack of the track.
As he was trying to do so, just two seconds before the red flag was shown, Pierre Gasly passed a recovery vehicle that was on the track. Under very poor visibility, Gasly narrowly missed the vehicle, luck on his side. Following the controversial events of that race, Wittich took full control of the role, while the Portuguese was fired.
The awareness of the looming dangers in Formula 1 has increased significantly in the last decade. Wittich himself was always careful when it came to safety: under his watch, there were frequent Safety Cars and red flags. Wittich was also working on a solution to track limits, believing that the gravel in certain turns is an effective deterrent.
However, there have still been inconsistencies in decisions coming from Race Control, with the wet Brazilian Grand Prix weekend being the most recent incident.
Why his dismissal is problematic for the FIA?
This whole ordeal between the FIA and Wittich is quite troublesome for the Federation Internationale. The role of Race Director has been unstable since Charlie Whiting in 2019 after he exercised the role for 30 years. Since then, five different people have occupied this position in only five years.
Moreover, many key figures are leaving. The FIA appears to be weaker and weaker by the day, and the questionable choices made don’t help at all.
Also, choosing someone like Rui Marquez, who only has experience in F2 and F3, could expose the Federation to more criticism. And it exposes Marquez to an enormous amount of pressure. The Race Director not only has to know the rules perfectly, but it requires experience on and off the track to deal with the teams and media. Avoiding controversy should be the priority. And Masi’s case is the perfect example of how important all of this is.
