On Tuesday, it was announced that Niels Wittich has immediately stepped down as the race director of Formula 1. The FIA refers to it as a voluntary departure, but the German denies in the media that he has resigned. Reportedly, the relationship between the race director and FIA president Ben Sulayem was strained. In addition, Wittich is being held responsible for a number of controversial decisions during the race weekend in São Paulo.
It’s a highly unusual development – a race director stepping down in the middle of the season. The question is whether Niels Wittich actually submitted his resignation, as the FIA claims, or whether he was dismissed. When asked, Wittich emphasized that he did not step down himself. “I did not resign,” he declared to Motorsport-Magazin.com.
Reporter Craig Slater from Sky Sports also reported that Wittich did not simply resign. “He was effectively fired,” said the Brit. “He did not voluntarily quit his job with three races left on the calendar, which clearly contradicts the statement that the FIA has released.” In a statement from the organization, it was emphasized that Niels Wittich ‘steps down to pursue new goals.’
Relationship with FIA President
“The relationship between Wittich and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is also said to be strained,” Slater continued. “This too contributed to his sudden departure.” The race director had already been under pressure in recent days due to the controversial decisions made during the race weekend in São Paulo. Many experts felt that the red flag was waved too late twice. For instance, it took a full forty seconds after Lance Stroll’s crash in the second qualifying round before the race was halted.
“Wittich has been under scrutiny in recent days,” Slater concluded. “Due to the heavy rain in the São Paulo GP, there were moments when the red flag should perhaps have been waved earlier. I have spoken with several people who believe that Wittich failed to make crucial decisions at such moments.” The 52-year-old German will be replaced by Rui Marques from the Las Vegas GP onwards. The Portuguese has already served as race director in Formula 2 and Formula 3 this year.
