Set to take to the track in Las Vegas with a new race director in charge, George Russell says the F1 drivers “had no idea whatsoever” about Niels Wittich’s departure.

Despite only three races remaining on the 2024 F1 calendar, the FIA announced last week that Wittich had “stepped down from his position as F1 race director to pursue new opportunities”.

George Russell: Drivers the last to find out this sort of information

The statement added that Rui Marques, who had been race director in Formula 2 and Formula 3, would replace Wittich with immediate effect, taking the reins for the final races of the championship.

But as Wittich debunked the FIA’s statement by telling Motorsport-Magazin that he had “not resigned”, it was claimed that he had been sacked as he was at odds with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

One thing is certain, the drivers had no idea this was coming.

“We had no idea whatsoever,” Russell told the media including PlanetF1.com on the eve of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. “We definitely weren’t aware. It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody.

“Often as drivers, we probably feel like we’re the last to find out this sort of information. When it involves us kind of directly, it would be nice to be kept in the loop and have an understanding of what decisions are being made.

“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.”

It was also suggested last week that the drivers weren’t happy with some of Wittich’s decisions, especially over the course of the Austin or Mexican Grand Prix weekends.

But while Russell admitted they weren’t always happy, he doesn’t believe “hiring and firing” it the way forward.

“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, I think if you work together with us, we could have helped improve the matter,” he added.

“Sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution. You kind of 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.”

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GPDA yet to hear back from FIA over Instagram letter

Wittich’s ousting is just the latest niggle between the drives and the FIA, ranging from jewellery to underwear to what language they use. The latter argument saw the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association write a lengthy statement to the FIA on Instagram.

Russell, who heads the GPDA, has yet to hear back from the FIA president Ben Sulayem

“I think getting things to change, or promises upheld seems slightly more challenging. So, it’s maybe the FIA or the president didn’t recognise how seriously we all felt. So I think that’s why, over the course of 20 races this year and also even last year, we spoke about a number of topics,” Russell said.

“All of the drivers feel pretty similar. We all know what we want from the sport and the direction it’s been heading. We probably feel that we want to do a small U-turn on a number of topics and just want to work together with the FIA on this. That’s just what we’ve felt has not been happening at all, at least directly from the president.

“We recognise everybody’s working as hard as they can to do the best job possible. There 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.

“If we feel that we’re being listened to and some of the changes that we are sort of requesting are implemented, because ultimately we’re only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase.

“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, in the wrong direction.”

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