The Formula One race director, Niels Wittich, has unexpectedly stepped down from his position with immediate effect, as announced by the FIA on Tuesday. He will be succeeded by Rui Marques, who previously held the race director role for Formula Two and Formula Three. Wittich's departure came as a surprise to the F1 community, particularly given that there are still three races remaining in the 2024 season. The FIA did not provide any specific reasons for his departure, stating only that "Niels Wittich has stepped down from his position as F1 Race Director to pursue new opportunities." Portugal's Marques will assume the role starting from the next round in Las Vegas.
Wittich has not commented on his mid-season departure, but he is the latest in a series of senior FIA officials to leave their posts. Over the past 12 months, the chief executive, Natalie Robyn, moved on after just 18 months in the role, along with the sporting director, Steve Nielsen, the technical director, Tim Goss, and the head of the FIA commission for women, Deborah Mayer. This period of turbulence has added to the challenges faced by FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who has been at the helm since 2021.
Ben Sulayem has overseen a series of controversies, most recently being publicly criticized by the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, which called for a more mature approach after the FIA penalized Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc for swearing. The association specifically urged Ben Sulayem to mind his "tone and language." Wittich took over from Michael Masi following his highly controversial decisions at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. Initially sharing the role with Eduardo Freitas, Marques will now be the fourth person to hold the position since Charlie Whiting's death in 2019.
Next year, F1 will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a season-launch event featuring all 10 teams unveiling their liveries together at London's O2 Arena on February 18. The event, described as interactive, will include interviews with key figures from the sport and live music. Tickets for the event will go on sale on Friday. Additionally, Aston Martin announced on Tuesday that Dan Fallows has stepped down as technical director but will remain with the team. His replacement has yet to be named. Alpine has also confirmed their switch to using Mercedes engines from 2026 onwards, at which point their parent company Renault will cease its role as an F1 engine manufacturer.
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