F1 Today | Race director 'resigns', F1's live launch revealed on busy day
F1 News
And, relax! A huge day of F1 news has just unfolded, with multiple stories breaking throughout Tuesday. FIA race director Niels Wittich resigned from his post with just three races to go in the 2024 season but has since claimed that he was instead fired. Alpine has announced that they will use Mercedes engines and gearboxes from the 2026 season. Elsewhere, Dan Fallows has left his technical director role at Aston Martin, and F1 have announced a huge, stadium launch event where the 2025 liveries of all 10 cars will be revealed. Finally, Red Bull has been cleared after the FIA investigated a possible 'front bib' exploit. See it all on GPblog now!
Race director Wittich 'resigns':
Niels Wittich was announced to be stepping down as Formula 1's race director with immediate effect. The FIA has already determined a successor, and that will be Rui Marques, who held the same position in Formula 2 and Formula 3. In a statement, the FIA said: "The FIA can confirm that Niels Wittich has stepped down from his position as F1 Race Director to pursue new opportunities. Niels has fulfilled his numerous responsibilities as Race Director with professionalism and dedication. We thank him for his commitment and we wish him the best for the future."
Since the news broke, Wittich himself has come out to say that he didn't resign. Wittich told Motorsport-Magazin: "I have not resigned." According to the German outlet, the Race Director was informed of his resignation just before the FIA released the statement. GPblog asked the FIA for a comment, but the governing body couldn't be reached.
Alpine unveil new engine supplier:
The deal between Alpine and Mercedes had been in the air for some time after the French team decided to close its own F1 engine division. Flavio Briatore, the advisor appointed in the summer, was particularly in favour of stopping with its own power units. After these plans were leaked, it led to major protests among Renault employees. It has now become clear that they will be given a different function internally. This paved the way for an agreement with Mercedes. That team will see Aston Martin leave as a customer team after 2025 and was always open to having this position filled by another team. That has now become Alpine.
Dan Fallows steps down at Aston Martin:
Dan Fallows has quit as Aston Martin's technical director. Fallows will be staying in the Aston Martin group, and The British team are yet to announce who will replace him. Fallows has commented on his departure: “In my time at Aston Martin, it has been a joy and a privilege to guide the technical team on their journey towards being race and championship winners. It is time for me to pass on the baton, but I look forward to watching the team's future success, which I am sure will come soon.”
Aston Martin's results this season have been disappointing. The team did announce the signing of Adrian Newey earlier in the season, with the master designer starting at the team early in 2025.
F1's 2025 London launch revealed:
Formula 1 will hold a special event early in 2025, with all 10 teams presenting their new cars for the season at this event, F1 has announced. The event will take place on 18 February at the O2 Arena in London.
This is the first time Formula 1 and the teams have organised this event. Besides the presentations of the cars, there will be live performances and other entertainment. Fans can attend the show, and tickets will go on sale this Friday. Drivers, team bosses and other big names in Formula 1 will be present for interviews.
F1's President and CEO, Stefano Domanicali said: "For the first time we will bring together our fans, all 20 superstars of our sport and some very special guests to officially kick off our new season and mark our 75th year of racing. With 2025 set to be a classic season following all the drama so far in 2024, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans of all ages to experience up-close the incredible entertainment spectacle that is Formula 1."
Red Bull deemed innocent:
The FIA has definitively cleared Red Bull Racing of using a clever way to adjust the ride height of the car. This would involve a 'front bib adjuster', which was believed to be changed between qualifying and the race. The governing body concluded that they had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
According to Autosport.com, a delegation from the FIA visited Red Bull Racing's factory in Milton Keynes to investigate. In a statement, received by GPblog among others, the FIA now states: "This investigation concluded that no breach has taken place, and therefore confirmed the position adopted by the FIA during the US Grand Prix in Austin."
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