Niels Wittich’s sudden exit as Formula 1’s race director has sent shockwaves through the racing world. He’s leaving immediately, just three races before the season ends.
Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve can’t quite believe it.
“That is big news. I would want to know why,” Villeneuve told Grosvenor Sport. “Maybe a lot of people weren’t happy with the Brazil calls.”
What makes this even more interesting? Reports suggest Wittich didn’t actually resign from his position at the FIA, F1’s governing body. He’d only been in the job since 2022, taking over from Michael Masi.
Rui Marques, who’s been running things in Formula 2 and Formula 3, will step in starting with the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The timing is pretty strange. F1 just wrapped up a controversial triple-header of races where Wittich and his team made some calls that got everyone talking.
In Austin, Lando Norris got penalized for going off track while racing Max Verstappen. Then in Mexico, Verstappen picked up two 10-second penalties during another battle.
But it was Brazil that really got heated. Verstappen was furious when officials took 45 seconds to throw a red flag after Lance Stroll‘s crash – especially since they’d been much quicker with red flags in other situations.
“We don’t know if there are some personal issues as well that have nothing to do with racing,” Villeneuve added. “He was a fixture and quite strict and direct. Something has happened we’re not privy to.”
The racing world will be watching closely to see how this shake-up affects the final three races of the season.
