Drama surrounds final 3 races of F1 season as drivers voice displeasure with recent FIA decisions

LAS VEGAS (AP) — There are three races remaining in the Formula 1 season and Max Verstappen of Red Bull is close to a fourth consecutive world championship, which can wrap up Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

All is not smooth sailing headed into this final month of racing:

— There's a new race director following the firing of Niels Wittich that blindsided the Grand Prix Drivers' Association so badly that it created an Instagram account to rebuke the lack of FIA transparency.

“It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody,” said Mercedes driver George Russell, a GPDA director. “It’s a hell of a lot of pressure now onto the new race director (with) just three races left. Often, as drivers, we probably feel like we’re the last to find out this sort of information.”

— Greg Maffei, the CEO of Liberty Media, the company that holds the commercial rights to F1, said last week he was stepping down from his position. This followed months of speculation that owner John Malone was displeased with Liberty landing in two different Justice Department investigations, one surrounding F1's refusal to allow Andretti Global into the series and the other over allegations of a Live Nation concert ticket monopoly.

The Andretti team is expected to receive F1 approval to join the grid, albeit without Michael Andretti, who has scaled back his role dramatically since the IndyCar season ended in September.

— F1 denied over the weekend that Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula One Management, was also on the move amid rumors that the Italian would take over MotoGP if Liberty's purchase of the series is approved.

— Renee Wilm, a longtime Liberty Media employee, CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and potentially Domenicali's successor, told The Associated Press she will fulfill any role Malone tasks her with but has little desire to move from Colorado to London to replace Domenicali. Maffei's newly opened job? Who knows.

Many drivers, particularly seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, have been at odds with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem since his election following the 2021 season finale. In the GDPA statement, they reminded the sanctioning body “our members are adults” who don't need lectures and fines on foul language or jewelry bans, and simply want fair and consistent race control.

There's been no response from Ben Sulayem, and won't be this weekend since he does not attend the LVGP. He will be at Qatar and the finale in Abu Dhabi next month.

Hamilton doesn't think all the behind-the-scenes changes will be a fan topic as the season comes to a close. But he noted that consistency from race control is all the drivers have asked for, while throwing his support behind Domenicali and the job Maffei has done in growing F1 since Liberty took over.

“I really hope Stefano is not leaving because he's been so instrumental in changes and progress to this whole thing,” Hamilton said. “And he knows the sport as well as anyone. But all good things do come to an end, and whoever they put into place, I just hope they are like-minded. But sometimes you have to shake the trees.”

That's just what happened with the surprise departure of race director Wittich. Although drivers have been unhappy with race officiating this season and held a private GPDA meeting in Mexico City, Russell said they had no prior warning Wittich was out.

The race director is the referee each weekend and Wittich has been in charge since 2022, when Michael Masi was fired following the controversial 2021 season-ending, championship-altering finale at Abu Dhabi. Now the man in charge for the final three races is Rui Marques, the Formula 2 and Formula 3 race director.

Las Vegas, which overcame multiple stumbling blocks in last year's debut before putting on one of the best races of the season, is a difficult place to start. Verstappen can win his fourth title by simply scoring three points more than Lando Norris of McLaren.

“It’s a bit weird with three races to go to do that,” Verstappen said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re positive or negative about certain things. I thought in Brazil there was definitely room for improvement, for example. It’s still a bit weird having to now then deal with a different race director.”

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari wondered why the move was made with only three races to go.

“To do it so late in the season, at such a crucial moment of the season, it could have probably been managed in a better way,” he said.

The drivers have consistently asked for clearer guidelines in the officiating of races, specifically regarding track limits and racing rules. The drivers have no idea how Marques will officiate, highlighting a disconnect between the competitors and Ben Sulaymen's FIA.

“We just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening,” Russell said. “And I think the departure of Niels is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations.”

The GDPA statement made clear the drivers do not think their voice is being heard.

“If we feel we’re being listened to, and some of the changes that we are requesting are implemented, because ultimately we’re only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase,” Russell said. “But I think there’s a number of drivers who feel a bit fed up with the whole situation. It only seems to be going in the wrong direction.”

He also said the relationship between the drivers and the FIA seems fractured.

“Sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution,” he said. “You need to work together to improve the problem.”

Norris, who has battled Verstappen this year with mixed officiating rulings, said “obviously things are not running as smoothly as what we would want.”

Marques has his first driver meeting ahead of Thursday night's two practice sessions and then three weeks to prove to the competitors he is up for the job.

Carlos Sainz Jr., who will leave Ferrari for Williams at the end of the season, hopes the drama doesn't distract from the momentum F1 has built over the last five years.

“I think Formula 1 is in a great moment right now and all these rumors, I think in every team, every job, there's job changes,” he said. “It's not big drama. I'm a big fan of the people you mentioned, they've done an incredible job in Formula 1 and Formula 1 is what it is thanks to these people. But it's just so emotional, especially the Stefano one. The only one that has a real effect is the race director. But I think if he does a good job, it should be transparent and nothing big.”

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Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press