George Russell says drivers were surprised by the FIA’s announcement last week that race director Niels Wittich had been replaced.
The FIA said Wittich, who took over the role at the beginning of 2022, had left to pursue other opportunities. However he claimed the governing body chose to release him from his position.
Russell said the FIA did not inform or consult drivers over Wittich’s departure. “We definitely weren’t aware,” he said. “It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody.”
Formula 2 race director Rui Marques will take over from Wittich at the final three rounds of the season. Russell said he has “a hell of a lot of pressure” on his shoulders in taking over the role this late in the year.
“For us, often, as drivers, we feel like we’re the last to find out this sort of information. And when it involves us kind of directly it would be nice to be kept in the loop and just 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.”
Although drivers expressed some concerns over decisions taken by Wittich during his time in charge, Russell says they had been content to continue working with him.
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“I 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,” he said. “But at the end of the day I think, working together with us, we could have helped improve the matter.
“I 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 sort of 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 forward.”
Russell is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, which published an open letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last week criticising his stance on drivers swearing in press conferences and demanding transparency on how fines levied on them are used. The Mercedes driver called on the FIA to work more closely with drivers over the concerns they raised.
“Talking as a fellow driver as opposed to sort of my role with the GPDA, I think everybody felt with certain things that have happened over the course of this year…
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