Vasseur: F1 director change at ‘strange' time
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has branded the sudden departure of Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich as "strange," a shift that comes at a crucial juncture ahead of the championship-deciding grands prix.
With both the drivers' and constructors' championships hanging in the balance, Red Bull's Max Verstappen stands on the brink of securing his fourth consecutive title. Meanwhile, the constructors' title race remains highly competitive, with leaders McLaren and Ferrari locked in a fierce battle.
Wittich's immediate departure was announced last week, sparking widespread speculation but offering little clarity on the reasons behind it. Drivers have expressed their surprise at the move during media sessions on Wednesday.
"The momentum of this decision is a bit of an odd topic for me because now we are at the end of the championship, it's probably the three most difficult races to manage," Vasseur told reporters at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday. "Vegas, if you remember last year, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the last one of the championship. The momentum is strange for this, for me."
Vasseur emphasized that he is not privy to the inner workings of the FIA's decision-making process. "But I'm not behind the scene on the discussion into the FIA, and so that means I don't want to make any position on this, but the momentum is strange."
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who witnessed his driver Lewis Hamilton lose the championship in Abu Dhabi in 2021 after then-race director Michael Masi altered safety car procedures, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the need for stability.
Alpine's team principal Oliver Oakes remarked that the newly appointed race director Rui Marques, promoted from Formula 2, is well-suited for the role. "I think he'll be fine. I think at the end of the day, if they've given him the chance, it's because everybody thinks he's ready to step up and take that position," said Oakes, who has experience working with Marques in the junior series.
Sky Sports television commentator and former racer Martin Brundle also weighed in, describing the situation as "very difficult to rationalise."
"Niels Wittich, we are reading, said, 'I was fired, I didn't step away from it.' He looked like he was enjoying it, I think he fully expected to be here," said Brundle. Wittich was quoted by German website motorsport-magazin.com as stating he had not resigned, offering no further details.
The FIA maintained that Wittich left "to pursue new opportunities."
"Until we understand more about it and why, whatever they were dissatisfied with, it's very difficult to comment on whether it was a good or a bad decision," Brundle added. "But coming into what is a very difficult race here, it's absolutely not optimal. Surely you'd have waited until the winter?"
With the stakes at their highest, teams and fans alike are left pondering the implications of this abrupt leadership change as the season approaches its climax.
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