Leclerc and Sainz on new race director: "Could have been managed better"

There may only be three races remaining out of the 24 for the 2024 season, but that has not stopped the FIA from making a change at race director, with Niels Wittich leaving the post and being replaced by former Formula 2 and Formula 3 race director Rui Marques.

There is still some uncertainty surrounding Wittich's departure, with the German holding the race director job since 2022 after replacing Michael Masi after the 2021 season. The FIA announced he "stepped down from his position to pursue new opportunities", but the German said that he had not stepped down, but that he was fired instead.

Race director change "came out of nowhere"

In any case, Marques, who took charge of the Macau Grand Prix for the Formula Regional series last weekend, will oversee the end of the F1 season which is still yet to see a drivers' and a constructors' champion. For Leclerc, he is not too sure why a change was made with so much still on the line: "That came out a bit of nowhere. I think we were all surprised. I think more than speaking about the decision, which we can all have our own opinion, I think the timing was a bit surprising and to do it so late in the season at such a crucial moment of the season. Could have probably been managed in a better way."

However, the Monegasque continued by saying the change in race director should not affect anything come Grand Prix time: "But 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 quite surprised with the timing of that."

Sainz looking for "collaboration" between drivers and Marques

Sainz also had his say on the major change to the FIA, and he echoes thoughts of other drivers on the grid: "I think it's extremely important, that cooperation, that collaboration between racing drivers and race director. I mean, a lot of decisions that the race director takes are influenced by the feedback that we give about the track, the conditions, everything. Obviously, just kindly asking from here that the new one is to be open-minded, to listen to us, and to appreciate our feedback, because if we say things with the intention of changing the track something, or we say, communicate something on the radio, is because we truly believe that."