Former Method 1 race director Niels Wittich has spoken up about his dismissal from the FIA in his first public feedback on the matter.
It was introduced on the eve of final November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix that Wittich will step down from his position on the FIA with rapid impact. The announcement got here as a “shock” to many, with world champion Max Verstappen saying his exit was “bizarre”.
Talking as a visitor commentator throughout Sky Germany’s protection of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Wittich revealed “nobody has been capable of give me a solution” as to why he was faraway from his place.
For him, the information on the time was “simply as stunning” because it was for outdoor observers.
“I noticed no indications that something wasn’t working or that there was any motive to make a personnel change. So, in that sense, all of it got here as a whole shock. To at the present time,” the German remarked.
Wittich’s sudden dismissal through the essential closing section of the 2024 championship sparked a storm of concern in F1, one largely directed at FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“In case you take a look at it positively, you might flip current occasions right into a actuality present of their very own,” Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff quipped at the moment.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
Six-time grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher argued that the FIA was dropping a “actually excellent race director” with Wittich in an interview with Motorsport Community’s Formel1.de YouTube channel, describing it as somebody who had “all the time made good choices.”
The choice additionally didn’t sit nicely with the drivers’ union, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation.
“Some drivers are actually fed up with the scenario as a result of it simply retains going within the incorrect route,” criticised its director George Russell at the moment.
The FIA by no means supplied an official motive for Wittich’s departure. Reportedly, the choice got here immediately from Ben Sulayem, who confirmed no real interest in involving the drivers within the matter.
“It’s none of their enterprise. Sorry,” he stated on the time in an interview with Motorsport.com.
It’s believed that Ben Sulayem didn’t simply withhold a proof from the general public, however he additionally by no means mentioned the choice with Wittich himself.
When requested whether or not he had tried to get clarification from his former employer in regards to the causes for his dismissal, Wittich replied: “I did, actually. However nobody might give me a solution.
“To at the present time, no motive has been given to me. And the final time I spoke with the FIA president was final 12 months in China. So I can’t say that we had any form of falling out or a unfavorable relationship. I had comparatively little contact with him.”
Wittich was appointed as F1 race director forward of the 2022 season, initially alongside Eduardo Freitas, following heavy criticism of his predecessor, Michael Masi, and Masi’s controversial position within the notorious 2021 Abu Dhabi season finale.
From late 2022 onwards, Wittich served as the only real race director for F1. Trying again, he finds the abrupt ending to his tenure in 2024 “a disgrace.”
“It was an unimaginable pleasure to work with such a improbable staff and to supervise such a tremendous sequence,” he stated. “Properly, Method 1 might be fairly fast-moving in the case of personnel, whether or not on the staff aspect or amongst officers. I simply have to simply accept it for what it’s.”
On this article
Christian Nimmervoll
Method 1
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