Dear Motorsport-Magazin.com readers,
If a Formula 1 race director is simply dismissed without justification, then that is a real reason for me to write this guest comment. I was shocked, horrified and extremely amazed. Because a Formula 1 race director is an exposed personality. We should talk about that.
I have dealt with many different race directors in my Formula 1 career. At the beginning, the race directors changed from track to track and from country to country. Then came the first permanent race director, Roland Bruynseraede. Later I had very intensive contact with Charlie Whiting at RTL, then with Michael Masi and finally with Niels Wittich.
I can say one thing: This job is not without its challenges. You have an incredible responsibility. Not everyone can do that given the pressure that is on you here. You have to make decisions in the interests of sport and safety. The dismissal is dramatic because Formula 1 race directors don’t grow on trees. These are plants that have been cultivated over many years.
For me there is only one conclusion: putting a flawlessly acting race director on the road without justification is not only scandalous in itself, but it is also decidedly not well thought out. Who is supposed to keep growing?
Christian Horner on the Formula 1 starting grid.” title=”FIA race director Michael Masi jokes with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner on the Formula 1 starting grid.”/>Michael Masi got caught between the fronts in the 2021 World Cup fight, Photo: LAT Images
Where are the young race directors who can prevail in this job against a Christian Horner, a Toto Wolf or a Zak Brown? The pressure is so incredibly great. Good race directors in motorsport are not automatically made for this specific job in Formula 1. With Eduardo Freitas we saw that not everyone can do it.
We had someone who could do it and performed flawlessly. Of course there is discussion about the work because everyone has their own opinion. For one person a red flag is bad, for another it is good. The bottom line is that this is exactly what the race director has to do: make an objectively correct decision, regardless of subjective driver, team and press opinions. I’m still a driver at heart and that’s why I know how it feels: you always feel like you’re being treated unfairly and complain about the race director.
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And that is one of Niels Wittich’s strengths. He was completely at ease. He was a strong race director who didn’t interpret the rule book, but implemented it one-to-one. I’ve talked about the offspring before. Even if there were suitable candidates: Who would do this job with this level of stress when you – no matter how good you are – can easily be fired?
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And then the way in which our sports authorities communicate: They simply present facts that are not entirely true. You don’t have to be surprised that people ask questions every now and then.
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And the second big topic is of course the why. Because you can’t just fire someone – even in business – because you think their nose doesn’t suit you anymore. If a committee decided it, you would need arguments. But there wasn’t. My first thought was the GPDA letter. But that wasn’t about the race director: it was about the president. Maybe this has caused him to become a certain thin-skinned person.
Deflecting problems is not a reason to fire the race director. Given the fact that there are actually no real offspring, I think this is a fatally wrong decision FIA. It is an unnecessary destabilization of the entire system.
Euer
Christian Danner
