Sergio Perez questions FIA’s control and urges stability as Niels Wittich’s dismissal highlights tensions between officials and drivers.
Sergio Perez trusts former F1 race director Niels Wittich when he claims he was dismissed.
In an announcement earlier this week, the FIA thanked Wittich for his work as Formula 1 race director, stating he had chosen to pursue a new challenge elsewhere.
However, the German responded by asserting he was fired.
For Red Bull driver Perez, this reflects instability within the FIA.
“In the sport, there’s always someone who agrees and someone who doesn’t. Sometimes, especially now, there’s a bit of a lack of control from the FIA. And, in fact, they just fired the race director, Niels.”
“So we’re going to have a new race director. It will be interesting. I think we need stability—for the drivers, for the teams in general,” Perez commented.
The Mexican driver does not appear to criticize the departure. According to some FIA sources, Wittich’s poor relations with drivers were among the reasons for his dismissal, with President Ben Sulayem not alone in wanting to assert authority on various matters, such as swearing, jewelry, and more.
These issues were also echoed in the GPDA’s statement, published as an open letter.
“I think that letter was a good thing. The truth is, we’re making it more public because we’re in a generation where we understand how important we are.”
“We are, after all, only 20 drivers in the world, and it’s important that we are heard as drivers. Formula 1 has grown significantly. Everyone looks out for their interests, and ultimately, drivers have been largely overlooked.”
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New F1 Race Director Sparks Perez’s Call for Stability New F1 Race Director Sparks Perez’s Call for Stability
