Niels Wittich: « No one has been able to give me an answer »
Niels Wittich, sidelined from the F1 race direction before the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, still does not know the reasons for this dismissal, initially presented as a resignation.
Niels Wittich was removed from the race director position in F1 on November 12, 2024. While this change was initially presented by the FIA as a resignation, this version of events was denied by the person concerned. It is therefore a dismissal and not a resignation.
« Niels Wittich has resigned from his position as F1 race director to pursue new opportunities », a statement from the FIA nonetheless announced.
This decision had raised questions from the pilots, for example, but also elsewhere: for instance, Ralf Schumacher spoke about Wittich on the YouTube channel Formel1.de, describing him as a truly exceptional race director.
The surprise of the announcement
If Wittich said he asked for explanations regarding this abrupt dismissal, he insists that “nobody was able to give me an answer.” While FIA’s decisions can sometimes seem strange to the public due to the lack of available information, he explains that in this case, this dismissal was “just as surprising” to him as it was to the public.
On Sky Germany, during the Bahrain winter testing, he stated: “I haven’t seen any sign that something wasn’t working or that there was a reason to change personnel. So, in that sense, all of this has been a real surprise.”
The misunderstanding persists
If several months have passed since the FIA’s decision, the situation has not become clearer since then: « To this day, no reason has been given to me. And the last time I spoke with the FIA president was last year in China. »
« So, I cannot say that we had any disagreement or a negative relationship. I had relatively little contact with him. »
The lack of transparency from the FIA regarding its decisions has often been criticized, notably by the drivers. However, Ben Sulayem had declared: « It’s none of their business. Sorry. »
But no regrets
Despite the conditions of his removal from race direction, he remains aware that it’s not so unusual to proceed in this way. Well, Formula 1 can be quite swift when it comes to personnel changes, whether on the teams’ side or among the officials. I just have to accept it. He had replaced Michael Masi, who was removed following decision-making during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.
« It was an incredible pleasure to work with such a fantastic team and to oversee such an impressive ensemble », he congratulated himself.
