The Formula 1 race director is in charge of race operations at every grand prix during the season.
They are responsible for a range of vital factors during the race weekend, including:
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sending out the safety car
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managing the marshals stationed around the circuit
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determining which flags are shown to drivers at different points of the race
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monitoring track limits violations
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pressing the button which makes the lights on the grid go out to signal the start of the grand prix
It is a demanding role, in which potentially life-and-death safety decisions must be taken in a matter of seconds, alongside ensuring the fair running of an enormous sporting event.
It is the stewards, rather than the race director, who investigate on-track incidents and decide on the penalties which are dished out to drivers found guilty of misdemeanours.
The race director is employed by the FIA, motorsport’s governing body. F1 has now had four different race directors in the past three years.
Charlie Whiting was F1 race director for over 20 years until his sudden death before the 2019 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Whiting had earned a degree in mechanical engineering before rising to chief mechanic of the Brabham F1 team, overseeing Nelson Piquet’s two title successes in 1981 and 1983.
He was replaced by Michael Masi, who had combined studies in marketing with voluntary positions in low-level motor racing series early in his career. The Australian rose up the ranks to become race director of Formula 2 and 3 before his promotion to F1. He was eventually removed from the position after an error in the controversial 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Niels Wittich then took on the role in conjunction with Eduardo Freitas, the pair having been race directors in DTM and World Endurance Championship respectively, before becoming sole race director in the latter part of the 2022 season.
The FIA announced Wittich’s departure before the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Rui Marques – who first joined the FIA in 2012 and has worked as race director in a variety of series – taking over.
Marques, 51, is stepping up from F2 and F3, having previously worked on the World Touring Car Championship and in karting in his native Portugal.