Niels Wittich

Last updated
Niels Wittich
Born1971or1972(age 52–53)
Germany
Nationality Flag of Germany.svg German
Occupation Formula One race director
Years active2022–2024
Predecessor Michael Masi
Successor Rui Marques

Niels Wittich (born 1971 or 1972) [1] is a German motorsport official who served as the race director of Formula One from 2022 until his departure in 2024.

Career

Wittich has a background in motorsport where he has worked in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) and was, among other roles, race director. [2] He left DTM following the 2020 season. [3]

In 2021, Wittich served as race director for Formula 2 and Formula 3, while also assisting with Formula One. [3] Wittich was set to become the deputy race director for Formula One in 2022, working under Michael Masi. However, Masi was removed from his role before the 2022 season began following an investigation into the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. [4] As a result, Wittich and Eduardo Freitas were both selected to jointly serve as race director for 2022. [3] Prior to the 2022 United States Grand Prix, the FIA decided to abandon the rotating race director concept, and Wittich became the sole race director for the rest of the season. [5] [6] He served continued to serve in this role for the 2023 season and for a majority of the 2024 season. [7] [8] Wittich departed from the position prior to the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, being replaced by Rui Marques. [9] [10]

References

  1. ↑ "Niels Wittich: FIA confirms immediate departure of F1 race director with Rui Marques named replacement". Sky Sports . 12 November 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "DTM race director Niels Wittich: "We want hard, but fair racing"". DTM . 5 August 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Cobb, Haydn (17 February 2022). "Who are Freitas and Wittich, and why are they replacing Masi?". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Saunders, Nate (17 February 2022). "Masi removed as F1 race director". ESPN. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Smith, Luke (21 October 2022). "FIA ends F1 race director rotation for rest of 2022 season". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Mitchell-Malm, Scott (21 October 2022). "FIA abandons rotation of F1 race director for rest of 2022". The Race. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  7. ↑ Horton, Phillip (15 February 2023). "Wittich to be sole Race Director in 2023 F1 season". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "FIA confirms Tim Malyon as new Sporting Director". Formula 1. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Benson, Andrew (12 November 2024). "Wittich 'steps down' as F1 race director". BBC Sport . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "F1 race director Wittich leaves with immediate effect". Reuters . 13 November 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
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