Niels Wittich’s sudden exit as Formula 1’s race director has sent shockwaves through the racing world, leaving fans and experts scratching their heads.
The timing couldn’t be more surprising – with just three races left in the season.
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion, didn’t mince words about the unexpected departure. "That is big news," he told Grosvenor Sport. "I would want to know why."
What makes this even more intriguing? Reports suggest Wittich didn’t actually resign from his position at the FIA.
Rui Marques, who’s been running things in Formula 2 and Formula 3, will step in starting with the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The last few races haven’t exactly been smooth sailing. The stewards’ decisions during the recent triple-header races raised quite a few eyebrows.
Take the US Grand Prix, where Lando Norris got penalized for going off track while battling Max Verstappen. Then in Mexico, Verstappen himself picked up two 10-second penalties during another fierce battle.
But it was Brazil that really got people talking. Verstappen was fuming after officials took 45 seconds to throw a red flag when Lance Stroll crashed – especially since they’d been much quicker to stop the action for other incidents.
"Maybe a lot of people weren’t happy with the Brazil calls," Villeneuve suggested.
But the former champ isn’t jumping to conclusions just yet. "We don’t know if there are some personal issues as well that have nothing to do with racing," he added. "He was a fixture and quite strict and direct. Something has happened we are not privy to."
Wittich had only been in the role since 2022, taking over from Michael Masi. Now, with three crucial races remaining, F1 faces yet another leadership shake-up at a critical time.
