Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich has stepped down from the role, the FIA has confirmed. Wittich assumed the role in 2022 which he initially shared with Eduardo Freitas on a rotating basis. They were brought in at short notice following the exit of previous race director Michael Masi. The latter quit his role in disgrace after his botched handling of safety car procedures during the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . He rushed to restart the race on the final lap which was not the correct protocol