Former F1 race direﷺctor Niels Wittich has finally spoken out abꦆout his sudden departure from the FIA.

On the eve of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, F1’s governing🐟 body announced that Wittich had left his role as race director with immediate effect with three races remaining in the season.

The move happened quickly with no explanation and came as a surprise to🍒 all, including F1 drivers who expressed their confusion about the German’s unexpected exit.

Breaking hiꦿs silence during an appearance on Sky German’s coverage of pre-season testing in Bah🐲rain, Wittich said he was given “no reason” for his dismissal.

"I saw no indications that anything wasn’t working or that there was any reason to make a personnel 🅷change,” Wittich explained.

“So, in that sense, it all came as a complete surprise. T🌜o this day.”

Asked if he had tried to get clarification from the FIA, Wittich replied: "I did, in fact. 🐟But no one could give me an answer.

"To this day, no reason has been given to me. And the last time I spoke with the 🐈FIA president was last year in China.

“So I can’t say that we ha🅘d any kind of falling out or a negative relationship. I ha🌃d relatively little contact with him."  

Rui Marques was installed a✃s F1’s new🦩 race director with immediate effect.

“It was an incredible pleasure to work with such a fantasticꦉ team and to oversee su🍷ch an amazing series,” Wittich added.

“Formula 1 can be quite fast-moving when it comes to p♍erson♌nel, whether on the team side or among officials. I just have to accept it for what it is."

Wittich's exit shocked F1 drivers 

Reacting to the news of Wittich’s axing, world champion Max Verstappen de🥃scribed it as a “weird” decision.

“I read the news and I just continued with my day... of coursജe it is a bit weird wi𓃲th three races to go to do that,” Verstappen said at the time.

“It doeꦜsn’t matter if you are positive or negative about certain things, and I thought in Brazil, for example, there was definitely roo🍒m for improvement, but it is still weird now having to deal with a different race director.

“Normally if you want to change a race director t🥀hen do it after the season, and then you have a bit of time for the race direct💟or himself to get up to speed with things.

“Then you have pre🎃-season testing, and you get into your role a bit more. But let’s see how🎉 it goes. They have decided it, and we have to deal with it.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc revealed the drivers were not informed about the FIA’s decision, saying it “came out o🌠f nowher🌸e”.

McLare🐬n driver Oscar Piastri echoed Leclerc’s comments.

“I had no idea that anything was even being planned,” the Australian said. “I actually heard it from someone 💜else, one of the other drivers, or an article somewhere. So it was definitely a bit of a surprise.

“I think on the whole, Niels was doing a reasonable job. I think there were some things that we wanted to improve, some things got better, some maybe didn't, but, yeah, I certain❀ly don't think෴ it warranted an immediate sacking. I don't know how it got phrased, but it seems like a bit of a different picture than how it was phrased, so I don’t know.”