‘No reason given to this day’

Former Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich has spoken up about his dismissal from the FIA in his first public comments on the matter.

It was announced on the eve of last November’s Las Vegas Grand Prix that Wittich will step down from his role at the FIA with immediate effect. The announcement came as a “surprise” to many, with world champion Max Verstappen saying his exit was “weird”.

Speaking as a guest commentator during Sky Germany’s coverage of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Wittich revealed “no one has been able to give me an answer” as to why he was removed from his position.

For him, the news at the time was “just as surprising” as it was for outside observers.

“I saw no indications that anything wasn’t working or that there was any reason to make a personnel change. So, in that sense, it all came as a complete surprise. To this day,” the German remarked.  

Wittich’s sudden dismissal during the crucial final phase of the 2024 championship sparked a storm of outrage in F1, one largely directed at FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“If you look at it positively, you could turn recent events into a reality show of their own,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff quipped at that time.  

Six-time grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher argued that the FIA was losing a “truly outstanding race director” with Wittich in an interview with Motorsport Network’s Formel1.de YouTube channel, describing it as someone who had “always made good decisions”.

The decision also did not sit well with the drivers’ union, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.

“Some drivers are really fed up with the situation because it just keeps going in the wrong direction,” criticised its director George Russell at that time.  

The FIA never provided an official reason for Wittich’s departure. Allegedly, the decision came directly from Ben Sulayem, who showed no interest in involving the drivers on the matter.

“It’s none of their business. Sorry,” he said at the time in an interview with Autosport.

It is believed that Ben Sulayem did not just withhold an explanation from the public, but he also never discussed the decision with Wittich himself.

When asked whether he had tried to get clarification from his former employer about the reasons for his dismissal, Wittich replied: “I did, in fact. But no one could give me an answer.

“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 can’t say that we had any kind of falling out or a negative relationship. I had relatively little contact with him.”  

Niels Wittich, Race Director, FIA

Photo by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Images

Wittich was appointed as F1 race director ahead of the 2022 season, initially alongside Eduardo Freitas, following heavy criticism of his predecessor, Michael Masi, and Masi’s controversial role in the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi season finale.

From late 2022 onwards, Wittich served as the sole race director for F1. Looking back, he finds the abrupt ending to his tenure in 2024 “a shame.”

“It was an incredible pleasure to work with such a fantastic team and to oversee such an amazing series,” he said. “Well, Formula 1 can be quite fast-moving when it comes to personnel, whether on the team side or among officials. I just have to accept it for what it is.”