For two years now, the role of Formula 1 race director has been bitterly debated within the world of Formula 1. In 2021, it was Michael Masi who ended up in the eye of the storm on more than one occasion, at a time when the Australian motorsports official was the sole ‘referee’ of Grands Prix.
His controversial handling of the Safety Car moment in the final lps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit, which inevitably conditioned the outcome of the F1 world championship battle between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the FIA. In fact, ahead of the start of last year’s championship, the Federation removed the Australian from his position and decided for a race director rotation, with Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas who alternated at the helm of Race Direction during the year.
The unusual rotation ended after the controversial facts of the Japanese GP, in which a tractor was sent onto the track to recover a single-seater crashed in the rain while the drivers were still lapping on the circuit, sparking an infinite number of controversies. Niels Wittich was the only one in charge of the last four GPs of 2022, but there were rumors about his possible departure after just one season. According to what was reported by the RaceFans website, which cites a source from the Federation, the FIA seems to however decided to confirm Niels Wittich also for next championship. His position would not be in doubt despite the statements of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in recent days.
In fact, the Emirati former rally driver and current president of the FIA made it clear at the press conference that the governing body of motorsport intends to continue investing in the training of other people who can fill the role of race directors and stewards in the future. Much of Niels Wittich’s professional future in Formula 1 at this point could depend on the ‘performance’ that the German will have in the championship that will start in Bahrain on March 5th.
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