Max Verstappen judged “odd” the FIA's decision to dismiss Niels Wittich from his post as racing director while the Formula 1 season is not over.
Niels Wittich, who held this role until the São Paulo Grand Prix, was replaced by Rui Marques, former race director for the F2 and F3 categories. The latter will therefore take up his duties and take control for the last three races of the season.
Speaking on the subject for the first time in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen expressed his surprise at the decision.
“I read the news. I just went on with my day…of course it’s a little weird doing this with three races to go.”
In Brazil, Max Verstappen was annoyed by the decisions taken by the race direction, particularly during qualifying, where he criticized the time taken to trigger a red flag.
Also read: Niels Wittich, ex-F1 racing director, was actually fired
“Whether one is positive or negative, it doesn't matter. I thought that in Brazil, for example, there was definitely room for improvement. It's always weird having to deal with a different race director”, added Max Verstappen.
For the Batavian, the situation can be a little perilous for the new race director, who has not really had time to get his bearings, even if the latter has already operated in F2 and F3.
“Normally, if we want to change race directors, we do so after a season, which gives the race director himself some time to get up to speed. Then there's the pre-season testing, you get into your role a little bit more, but let's see how it goes, they've made their decision and we have to deal with it”, concluded the man who could become quadruple Formula 1 World Champion this weekend.
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