Niels Wittich: FIA confirms immediate departure of F1 race director with Rui Marques named replacement

12 November 2024, 14:18 | Updated: 12 November 2024, 19:23

Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich has stepped down from his role with immediate effect, the FIA has announced.

F1's governing body said that Wittich was leaving to "pursue new opportunities", but Sky Sports News understands the German has effectively been sacked with three races of the 2024 season remaining.

F2 and F3 race director Rui Marques has been named as the German's replacement from next week's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

• How Max Verstappen can win the F1 world title at Las Vegas GP
• Get Sky Sports F1 | Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp
• Stream every F1 race with NOW Sports Month Membership

Wittich has held the role since the 2022 season, a job he initially shared with Eduardo Freitas before taking sole responsibility, after Michael Masi was removed from the position following a governing body review into the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"The FIA can confirm that Niels Wittich has stepped down from his position as F1 Race Director to pursue new opportunities," read an FIA statement.

"Niels has fulfilled his numerous responsibilities as Race Director with professionalism and dedication. We thank him for his commitment and we wish him the best for the future.

"Rui Marques will assume the role of Race Director from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"Rui brings a wealth of experience having previously served as track marshal, scrutineer, national and international steward, Deputy Race Director and Race Director in various championships. Most recently, he held the position of Formula 2 and Formula 3 Race Director."

The 52-year-old Wittich previously held the race director role in German Touring Cars.

'Wittich effectively sacked amid fallout with Ben Sualyem'

Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater:

Niels Wittich has stepped down today, according to the FIA's official release, to pursue other opportunities.

Senior sources have told me that he has effectively been sacked, that there wasn't a volition in terms of him deciding to leave his job with three races to go. That is obviously contrary to what the FIA have put out in their statement.

What I have also learned, and this has been explained to me by several sources, is that the relationship between Wittich and the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was also somewhat at odds, and that has been a contributory factor today.

Wittich is only the latest in a number of important figures that have left the FIA over the last couple of years.

In terms of how this is being received in F1 today, there's some shock and surprise among the teams that I've spoken to. They think with three races to go, it's an unusual choice to change horses at this point in time.

Rui Marques is coming in, who's been the Formula 2 race director, but is inexperienced in F1 terms. There's a vast difference between operating in F2 and operating in F1, when every decision is scrutinised.

Wittich has been under some scrutiny. We can look back at Interlagos and what happened there, and even in events preceding that. Amid heavy rain at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, there were times perhaps when maybe the red flag ought to have been activated earlier on.

I've spoken to some individuals who felt that Wittich's judgement was perhaps lacking for some of these crucial decisions.

Was his relationship with the race stewards a bit problematic? Did that surface in Austin when there was all that controversy about the way Max Verstappen races, particularly in defence.

It's a difficult job. It has been since the late, great Charlie Whiting died on the eve on the 2019 season. People remember the infamous Abu Dhabi race which cost Michael Masi the job as race director, and now this hot seat has proved too hot for Wittich.

The other complicating factor in parachuting in with three races to go is that the Drivers' Championship is still live theoretically, even though Max Verstappen is the heavy favourite. But the Constructors' Championship is still ongoing.

This is a really tough race to have your first race directorship in. It's a street circuit, there were umpteen incidents last year when the race debuted. There was controversy around certifying the track, which is one of the race director's duties - they've got to be involved in that. There was the drain cover that came up, so Rui Marques has a baptism of fire here.

Formula 1 returns after a three-week break with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22-24, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime

(c) Sky Sports 2024: Niels Wittich: FIA confirms immediate departure of F1 race director with Rui Marques named replacement