Heading into a race weekend when the majority of the Formula 1 paddock struggles to see any daylight, it turns out the drivers have been unhappy at being kept in the dark.
But their frustration is not directed at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, nor anything to do with this weekendโs second edition of the race in Sin City. It’s with the FIA and its recent decision to replace the race director Niels Wittich.
The governing body announced last week that Wittich had โstepped downโ with immediate effect, although he told German media that he had been fired. To replace the race director is a significant move either way, but to do so with three races left in the season is certainly strange timing.
The decision came shortly after the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) had written an open letter calling for FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to treat them like adults and be more transparent about where funding from monetary fines goes.
โTalking as a fellow driver as opposed to my role with the GPDA, I think everybody felt with certain things that have happened over the course of this year that we wanted to stand united,โ George Russell said.
โAt the end of the day, we just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening, and I think the departure of Niels is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations. And ultimately, we only want to work with the FIA to make the best for the sport that we all love.
โSo, I think it’s now putting the pressure back on them to work with us and work with everyone, including F1 as well, just to maximize this opportunity, which Formula 1 is in at the moment, which is an amazing time to be a part of.โ
That letter came prior to Wittichโs departure, and while Russell admitted there were issues regarding the race director that needed addressing, he revealed the drivers were not informed or consulted about the situation.
โWe definitely weren’t aware,” he said. “It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody. And it’s a hell of a lot of pressure now onto the new race director. Just three races left.
โOften, as drivers, we feel like we’re the last to find out this sort of information. And when it involves us directly, it would be nice to be kept in the loop and have an understanding of what decisions are being made. So, time will tell. I’m sure the new guy will handle the position just fine, but definitely not an easy race for a new race director.
โI can only talk on behalf of myself here as opposed to any of the other drivers, but I think there’s no secret that some were not happy with what was going on in terms of the decisions that were being made. But at the end of the day, if you’d worked together with us, that we could have helped improve the matter.
Sainz (pictured with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem) was one of several drivers surprised by the news โ and the timing โ of race director Niels Wittich’s exit. Steven Tee/Motorsport Images
โI think sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution. You need to work together to improve the problem. So, let’s see what this new era is going to bring, but every time there is a change, you have to take one step back before you make the two steps forwards.โ
Russell speaks from a position of leadership as the GPDA chairman, and was surprised that the recent letter written to the FIA by the group has not received any form of response. Heโs not alone in being caught out recently either โ Charles Leclerc also admitted that Wittich’s exit was unexpected.
โThat came out a bit of nowhere,โ Leclerc said. โI think we were all surprised. More than speaking about the decision โ which we can all have our own opinion (about) โ I think the timing was a bit surprising, to do it so late in the season, at such a crucial moment of the seasonโฆ Yeah, it could have probably been managed in a better way.
โBut apart from that, it doesn’t fundamentally change our relationship with the FIA. It’s obviously a continuous process of trying to make that relationship, and that discussion better, in order to make our sport better. And there are things to improve, for sure. And we are trying to work with the FIA to make it better. But yeah, quite surprised with the timing of that.โ
Leclercโs Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz agrees that handing the race director job to Rui Marques so close to the end of the season, and ahead of such a challenging tripleheader, is a big ask. The Spaniard points out that the race director and drivers have to work closely at every race, and as such they have a crucial relationship that now needs to be built from scratch.
โIt is extremely important, that cooperation and that collaboration between racing drivers and race director,โ Sainz said. โA lot of decision that the race director takes are influenced by the feedback that we give about the track, the conditions, everything.
โI just kindly ask from here, just for the new one to be open-minded, to listen to us, to appreciate our feedback, because if we say things with the intention of change โ on the track or something โ or we communicate something on the radio, itโs because we truly believe that.
โSo I just ask him for cooperation, collaboration, an open relationship and everything should be smooth. And I wish him the best because itโs a tough job and heโs been given a very tough task, which is to come into a championship with only three races left.โ
It wasnโt just the drivers who were caught out by the timing either. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu highlighted how chaotic last yearโs Las Vegas Grand Prix was as an example of how challenging it will be for Marques to get up to speed.
Thatโs even before the decision to replace Wittich is placed in the wider context of multiple departures of senior personnel from the FIA over the past year. Compliance officer Paolo Basarri also left in recent weeks.
โAt the moment it feels like everything is falling apart with all the people leaving left, right, and center, but sometimes you need to shake the tree to have some of the apples fall out!โ Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Given this has all played out since the drivers took a stand with their open letter only serves to reinforce the sentiment that all is not well between the sportโs biggest stars and the FIA president. Russell summed up the feeling of many of his peers when suggesting Ben Sulayem needs to find a way of bringing stability to the governing body, because recent developments have not filled the drivers with confidence.
โWe recognize everybody’s working as hard as they can to do the best job possible,โ Russell said. โThere is obviously a huge amount of change within the FIA quite regularly, so it’s clearly not the most stable of places. And maybe that’s why it’s been a bit challenging to get some of the changes that we’ve wanted implemented.
โOf course, everyone has their own side to their own story. But as I said, I think if we feel that we’re being listened to and some of the changes that we are experiencing, requesting, are implemented, because ultimately we’re only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase.
โBut I think there’s a number of drivers who feel probably a bit fed up with the whole situation. And it only seems to be going in, to a degree, the wrong direction.โ
