On Tuesday, the FIA confirmed a major change ahead of the last three races of the 2024 season with Niels Wittich stepping down as race director. Replacing him will be Rui Marques, who will take over the duties from the Las Vegas GP onwards.
Marques has been the race director in both F2 and F3 for the past two seasons. He will now bring that experience into the big boys’ league, with the business end of the F1 campaign having a lot left to offer.
Marques has been in motorsport for years, starting from the very bottom. He has been a track marshal and grew the ranks to become an international steward to a Deputy Race Director and then to a Director in several racing ventures.
Niels Wittich has stepped down from his role as #F1 race director which he took over from Michael Masi in 2022.
Rui Marques – who has fulfilled the same role in Formula 2 and 3 – will take over from the Las Vegas GP. pic.twitter.com/th90lmUx8D
— The Race (@wearetherace) November 12, 2024
Wittich’s departure comes just two weeks after an incident-filled Sao Paolo GP, where certain decisions made by the stewards were deemed rather controversial, especially those surrounding Max Verstappen and the timing of safety cars and red flags.
While there is no concrete evidence that the FIA removed Wittich on the grounds of probable mistakes he made that afternoon, the 52-year-old himself ensured to make it clear in an interview with Motorsport-Magazin.com that he was fired and did not choose to step down voluntarily.
Wittich took over as Race Director in F1 in 2022 after Michael Masi lost his job following the Abu Dhabi fallout from 2021. Until last season, he shared the role with Eduardo Freitas, before becoming F1’s sole Race Director in 2024.
